Geographies of War, Occupation, Resistance, and Terrorism - Article Example

Geographies of War, Occupation, Resistance, and Terrorism Currently, the world is divided into two major international axes. The two global axes are the United States, the United Kingdom, France, the State of Israel, and the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, and Turkey as the first axis. The second axis comprises of Russia, China, Iran, and Syria. Although trading activities unite these axes, they have numerous dividing factors. The two allies have major differences such as the battle for supremacy, the question of Syria, the question of Korea and the battle to be the leading manufacturer of deadly arms. Although the differences are currently harmless, they have prospects of disrupting world peace and cause another world war. The major cause of strain between the two international axes is the battle for supremacy and control of the world economy. The United States of America led group, and the Chinese-led group are fighting to control the world economy. These two groups view each other as competition, which leads to tension and lack of cooperation between them. Moreover, the tension has been magnified by the gradual emergence of China’s economic empire. China’s economy has massively grown, which has seen the country enter into numerous business partnerships with Russia and several allied countries.1 This act has led to increased tension between these two groups. The America allied group views this as a huge step China is making to dislodge them as the controller of the world’s economy. Another cause of tension between these two international axes is the arms race. The United States and its allies have long been known as the producers of deadly and sophisticated weapons. As a result, this axis has managed to control the world and subdue any uprising. In addition, this axis has a pact that supports the use of well-equipped military arms in various conflicts. The sudden emergence of China and Russia as better weapon developers has caused panic and tension among United States and its allies. Currently, China and Russia develop sophisticated weapons that rival America’s best weapons. The USA and its allies view the other axis as a threat to international peaceful coexistence. Furthermore, USA sees the sudden development of China as a threat to the west’s domination of the sea and air power in the Asian continent. In addition, the two axes are at war due to the brutality and unethical operations of the Chinese and Russians towards various states. The reason is that these two states disregard human rights. China is frequently accused by rights groups of using torture.2 China’s ascendance and economic growth are associated with various military and industrial espionage. The Chinese are greedy and consistently deny equal opportunity to conduct business and develop their economies. For instance, the Great Wall of China denies a number of firms a chance to operate in China. In addition, Chinese and Russian governments have a tendency to support countries that display an utter disregard for human rights. Consequently, this axis maintains cooperation with these countries and offers transference of essential technology to these countries. Equally important, this group of countries engages in unethical practices such as theft of ideas and advanced technology intellectual property. The most notable country in this case of stealing ideas and enhancing them to improve their technology is China. The American government claims Chinese government sanctioned the theft of advanced technology. Various Chinese engineers and firms took advantage of this permission and stole software and hardware secrets from a number of American companies. This act has created further tension between these two axes since the United States and United Kingdom advocates respect for human rights and ethical business operations. Moreover, the question of the North Korea and Iran is also a cause of tension between these two axes. The United States allies are against the illegal practices conducted in North Korea. These countries support the sanction on North Korea in order to reduce and eventually end its illegal practices. North Korea is widely known as the leading producer and retailer of powerful and sophisticated illegal weapons including nuclear weapons of mass destruction. These weapons are a threat to the international security and peace. Although both China and Russia are aware of the risks these weapons pose, they fully support the North Korea. As a result, the two countries use their VETO power to restrict any meaningful attempts by the international community to control North Korea’s operations. Thus, the two axes have tensions due to this incident among other reasons. Similarly, the two axes also have various disagreements due to China’s support for Iran. According to Haaretz, the Chinese government and their allies have also thwarted various attempts by the international community to sanction Iran.2 Iran is also known for production deadly weapons of mass destruction. The support both China and Russia offer to these two countries shows that they are not ready to embrace peace and unity, as the western countries. Moreover, the two axes have tension due to the battle to control the Asia-Pacific economy. The two axes are in contention to control the Asia-pacific economy. Although the real battle is between China and United States of America, the other nations are keen at the developments of this conflict. According to Blanchard and Rondonuwu, the Obama government openly stated that the country was in the region to counter the growing influence of China.3 As a result, the United States government, publicly condemned China for its illegal and unethical trading activities in the region. This move aimed at winning over the majority of the inhabitants of this region. On its part, China stated that ‘outside forces’ had no business in the region. It was a jibe aimed at the United States. Moreover, President Obama promised expansion of military activities and personnel in the area. According to Perlez, this move aims at stamping authority and control over the Asia-Pacific region.4 United States allies welcomed the move while the other axis is not in support of the expansion of America’s military activities in the area. Besides, the two axes have increased tension due to the question of Syria. The United States of America and its allies were against the activities of the Syria military. The army organ of Syria used chemical weapons to attack women and children. According to CNN, the attack massively violated human rights of these people and left a great number of them dead.5 According to Haaretz, the Chinese and Russian government thwarted various attempts by the international community to sanction Syria.6 Although Russia convinced the country to hand over the weapons, the US allies were suspicious of this deal. The Obama government believed that this was a stall tactic by the two allied nations.7 Due to this suspicion, tension ensued between the two countries with their partners carefully monitoring the situation. Nevertheless, the rising tensions between these two major axes have some serious prospects. Due to the battle for supremacy and control over the world economy, the world’s economic growth is imminent. The two axes are battling to outdo each other, which leads to numerous innovations and technological growth. This fierce competition translates to increased job opportunities and availability of high-skilled labor. Conversely, these confrontations and tensions can easily result in another world war or the cold war. The two axes are in massive competition of producing deadly weapons that are a threat to international peace. Unfortunately, in case of war, many people across the world are bound to suffer since these countries have deadly and highly destructive weapons. Although the two international axes have consistent confrontations and tension, they also have unifying factors. These two axes have some uniting factors that bring them together. For example, the two axes engage in trading activities that serve to benefit both parties. For instance, Russia has numerous and close trading ties with the United Kingdom and some European Union nations. The trade between Russia and United Kingdom has steadily grown since 2012. In addition, British also trades with the Chinese government, most notable is the trade in opium that is highly beneficial to China. Additionally, although the relationship between United States and Russia has remained strained, the trade between these two countries has grown steadily over the last decade. Russia is the source of a good percentage of America’s imports. The country exports inorganic chemical and oil that are highly demanded in America. On the other hand, America exports meat and aircraft parts to Russia. The various trade ties between these countries serve to unite the two major international axes. Evidently, the two global axes have various factors that contribute to their strained relationship and tension. These axes divisions and disagreements results from the desire to control the world economy with each axis striving to have one of its allies as the world’s superpower. Furthermore, the battle to own various deadly weapons has also resulted in the massive tension between these two countries. As a result, the Chinese practice theft to facilitate their growth in manufacturing weapons and advancement of technology. Besides, the question of negligence and infringement of human rights have also led to the tension between the two axes. China and its allies are known for their support for inhuman activities. As a result, the United States and its allies have condemned China for its unethical and immoral ideas and practices. The prospect of the increased competition between these two axes is the growth of the world’s economy and advancement in technology. Conversely, it can also lead to mass destruction and disruption of global peace. Nonetheless, the two axes are united in trading activities. Although competition is healthy, the two axes should avoid competition and embrace peace and similar ideologies. /22/2014, http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/1.592315 Read More