Ritula Shah on the UN, the IMF and the G20
Ritula Shah was in New York this week. She writes:
We normally look to history to see the ebb and flow of power. Wars, treaties, disputes and unions -- we allow some time to lapse and then analyse who gained and who lost.
In the last century, it was the postwar settlement that saw the creation of the United Nations and determined who should hold the reins of power and who should be relegated to the passenger seat. The make up of the UN Security Council, the structure of the IMF and eventually the emergence (as it was then) of the G7, reflected western economic and diplomatic power as the Second World War drew to a close.
This week, when President Obama addressed the UN General Assembly, he spoke passionately about the need for the world to move in a new direction - one of mutual interests and trust. And he stressed that solving the world's problems wasn't simply up to the US but a global endeavour.
I was at the UN to hear him speak, and on Wednesday evening's programme (click here to listen to it again) we discussed whether President Obama's multilateralism reflected US strength or an acknowledgement that the rise of nations like China, India and Brazil, meant power had to be more widely spread.
The most significant aspect of the discussion for me was the unanimous view of everyone on our panel of US commentators - regardless of their political convictions - that although some power may have tilted away from the West, America's role as world leader remained unchallenged.
Listening to today's news about the G20 made me think about all this again. The proposed reform of the IMF, giving China a bigger say in line with its growing economic clout, would probably mean a loss of permanent seats for France and Britain. There have been suggestions that a solution to that might be for Europe to agree to representation as a unit, so preserving its influence within the IMF.
There are obvious political difficulties about that which I'm sure will be much discussed but what that may indicate is that the rise of China is sapping power and influence from Europe rather than America.
Similarly, India's long standing demand for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, which we touched on in Wednesday's programme, might also mean Britain and France giving up one of their permanent seats - possibly in favour of a single European one, if it were to go ahead. Some might argue if Washington is really serious about more global cooperation then this is absolutely what should happen, but others might recall the Kissinger quote, "Who do I call if I want to call Europe?" Agreeing a line on foreign policy has never been one of the Union's stronger points.
But that may become a moot point if Europe is no longer the place to call - instead it's Beijing or New Delhi that Washington wants to get up on the other end of the line.
So why does any of this matter? The other news of today makes it all too plain -- the revelation of the existence of second nuclear enrichment plant in Iran. Whoever holds power, most analysts agree, the world needs to cooperate more than ever
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