Beyond the rhetoric of liberal rules-based international order, the United States of America by its recent actions have become the disrupter in Chief of International order, upturning not only the enduring multilateral institutions but hitting hard at its established bilateral relations.
Nigeria, which the US claimed to have good bilateral relations and shared values of liberal democracy recently got jolted, when its long standing entry visa modality was abruptly cut back and reduced to three months and single entry. Following on that, Washington has further tightened its noose on curbs against Nigerians with a threat to press criminal charges, warning that “we will pursue criminal charges against those that engage in visa fraud and those who bring in and habour illegal aliens”, after it noted thus: “A nation without borders is not a nation”.
The US revisionist immigration crackdown, with its current leadership identifying it rightly or wrong as the main crux of what ails their country, is, however, riddled with discriminatory applications which disproportionately target Africans and in the specific instance, Nigerians. It is no gainsaying that the US is historically the greatest beneficiary of immigration in the world, and her strength and wealth has largely flowed from her status as a melting pot, and as a global consequential super power or what former French Foreign Minister called “hyper-power”. Yet, like the proverbial biting of hand that feeds it, the US immigration turmoils and visa restrictions have created chaos beyond its shores. Dumping its alleged immigrants, snatched from the streets from anywhere in the US and just to anywhere in the world has become the new face of Washington’s contemporary confusion.
Nigeria was allegedly tapped to host the US uncanny export of her designated illegal migrants and the refusal of the Nigerian government to aid Washington in its domestic policy of immigration chaos, may have triggered Washington’s vendetta of visa restrictions against Nigeria. However, beyond visa restrictions, Washington is increasingly defining Africa and Nigeria as a battle ground where she hoped to push back at what it considers the so-called malignant Chinese and Russian expansive influence. Therefore, Nigeria would only seemingly matter to the US to the degree to which it affords a convenient platform to roll back perceived or real China and, to a lesser degree, Russia’s influence in Africa.
Recently, Washington held a summit with selected six African-leaders that most observers consider a clear factor of divide and rule tactics, reminiscent of the old approach of colonial domination. Nigeria, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Africa, the continent’s most consequential powers were snubbed, revealing Washington’s strategic roadmap to engaging Africa through favours and snubs.
The visa restriction aimed at Nigeria for her efforts to pursue independent foreign policy is only the beginning of the prospective Washington punitive measures aimed at whipping her into line. Nigeria’s current formal status of a BRICS partner is a field that Washington holds a grudge. President Trump has not hidden his hostility to the BRICS mechanism which he considers as opposed to the Washington liberal exclusionary order.
It is no gainsaying that the BRICS mechanism is not an anti-Washington/West platform but a major contribution to emerging and evolving international governance mechanism that reflects broader inclusion and participation. Not long ago, it was revealed that the United States Aid Agency, USAID, was complicit in the extremist insurgent war on Nigeria. Despite strident denials by the US side of involvement, most Nigerians who have suspected that the resilience of the insurgents would not have been possible without external support were not taken in, by the plausible deniability.
The visa restrictions and threats to harshly deal with prospective violators is not an isolated act of hostility by Washington, but a deliberate act in a series to highlight the US current prejudice and the selective threat to partners that dare to pursue independent policies. Interestingly, while Washington’s hammer at immigration is largely viewed as precipitative, and even chaotic,the harsh restrictions imposed on Nigeria and Africans are certainly not the same with the welcoming gestures to Europeans. Such discriminations expose the limits of the liberal assumptions of equity, fairness and justice, just as the massacre in Gaza of Palestinians expose the selective humanity of the West.
From a pivotal consequential power, whose supposed voice of moderation and reason should be globally acknowledged and respected, Washington has transformed to a Traumatised Revisionist and Unhinged Muddling Power, TRUMP, with penchant to sow chaos, disorder and dent the fabric of the international landscape.
Notwithstanding its disruptive activities, the chaotic consequences of Washington’s action is galvanising the momentum towards multilateralism and consolidating the evolving multi-polar global order. The trend of enduring broad partnerships rather than narrow and inward looking alliances is defining the landscape of the emerging multi-polar order as an enigmatic historical process not likely to be distracted by the musings of a lone and isolated “hyper power”.
Nigeria and other Africans should continue on the lane of independent foreign policy and constructive engagement with the world, including the United States of America.
* Okechukwu, a public affairs analyst, wrote from Abuja.
