I am back in my hotel room, taking a break from a conference I am attending in Denver, Colorado, USA to write this article. It’s the time of the year when I take time out to retreat, reflect, re-think, rest and recover so I can return to work replenished, refreshed and re-invigorated for the tough business operating and socio-political conditions in Nigeria. I update myself on strategy research by leading global academics, consultants and practitioners in the field.
I am thinking beyond business strategy and economics, however – I’m reflecting also on America, the West and the world. I wonder whether it is an auspicious time to visit America. On my first night here, I watched with some embarrassment as US President Barack Obama struggled to convince a sceptical press conference that Vladimir Putin of Russia had not really out-manoeuvred the US in Syria, as it had done in Crimea and Ukraine. America is increasingly a reactive, insufficiently rigorous and distracted participant in virtually all global conflicts it engages itself with, whether in Syria, Ukraine, Iraq, Iran, North-East Nigeria, Palestine or anywhere else. Russia, of course, upstaged the US in Syria, and it may soon do same in Iraq and other places. It appears that Obama has no coherent strategy in global geo-politics and may not even have a comprehensive vision or overarching theme for what American power represents and will accomplish on the global stage. It strikes me like a CEO of a leading company in an industry that has no clear strategy or intent to dominate its market, in spite of its historical hegemonic market position. That will be good for that CEO’s rivals and competitors, industry upstarts and potential disrupters, but it is unlikely to be positive for its shareholders and suppliers, “complementors” (allies) or loyal customers!
As the world changes around it and rivals improve their competitive position relative to the US – China challenging US hegemony in the global financial system with a new development and infrastructure bank and more militarily assertive in the South China Sea; the BRICS seeking to establish another competing global financial institution; Russia acting as a potential geo-political rival or resurgent superpower with revived ambitions for global spheres of influence; a rich but unstable Arab world in a chaotic and potentially tumultuous renaissance with hundreds of thousands, and eventually millions, of young Arabs surging into Europe while Islamist Jihadists are on the march in West and Central Africa (Nigeria, Cameroun, Niger, Chad, Mali, CAR), East Africa (Kenya, Somalia), North Africa (Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Egypt’s Sinai) and the Middle East (Yemen, ISIS in Syria and Iraq, Hezbollah, HAMAS and Islamic Jihad in Lebanon, Israel, Egypt etc., and Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula), China’s Uighurs, Russia’s Caucasus Region, Kashmir, Pakistan and Afghanistan while young Muslims in Europe and America are drawn to the call of Jihad; many developing nations (India, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Indonesia, Brazil, Turkey, etc.) becoming more independent in global politics and economics and less-obedient to American direction and leadership – American public policy is preoccupied with domestic social issues (homosexual marriage, drug legalization, guns, assisted suicide, abortion and race).
By the way, with respect to race, signs of rise in racism in America’s white populace are increasingly visible, even to visitors like me. White immigration officers are more hostile (one asked me whether he didn’t have a right to ensure I was a desirable guest before allowing me into his home, even though I’ve been visiting the US regularly since 1994 – in response to my enquiry about why he was delaying me for no apparent reason; every visit is different, he declared!) and even middleclass white American intellectuals appear to be more wary of black people. Reflecting on my two most recent US visits – in April/May earlier this year and now – I easily understand increased incidents of white law enforcement officers killing young and not-so-young black men and women –white Americans are clearly more irritated by and aggressive towards black people than a decade or two ago!
Returning to US power and competitiveness, it seems to me that policymakers in the world’s leading nation, much like complacent industry leaders in business who take their firm’s leadership position for granted, are not sufficiently focused on the things that made them number one – public infrastructure which is visibly decaying in many cities; quality of public education, which their experts say is in decline; improving American public transportation, especially the rail service which aided US industrial and metropolitan growth. In effect the US is not focused on strengthening its competitive advantage in the world. When Barack Obama leaves office, the achievements he will claim, with the controversial exception of healthcare reform, will be in relation to homosexuality and Iran – the “founders” will roll in their graves! (There is one notable exception and possible saving grace – America’s entrepreneurs and technology innovators ignore the White House, Capitol Hill and Washington gridlock and continue to lead the world in innovation.)
US “liberals”, of which Obama and potential 2016 Democratic Party candidate, Hillary Clinton, are prominent, are perpetually engaged in social experimentation – with the structure of marriage and families; with drugs and death; against faith and spirituality; and even regarding the essence of what their country stands for! Obama disclaims the faith foundations of US heritage and is willing to compel people of faith to act against their conscience and beliefs, in relation to homosexuality and abortion. No one could have predicted five years ago that US citizens could go to prison for their religious principles! Progressive social policy in the US was founded on moral (and Biblical) principles – the fight against slavery, colonialism, segregation, poverty (hence welfare), repression of women, etc. were all founded on Christian teachings on human dignity, freedom, liberation, equality, helping the poor, weak and vulnerable, life more abundant, etc. But today’s liberal priorities are grave Biblical sins – sodomy, bestiality, incest, unequal yokes with unbelievers, murder (of unborn children and sick people), defiling the human body and soul (drugs) and rejection of God, blasphemy and unbelief.
When a business is in trouble, with its values and strategy adrift, lacking clarity and direction, its board and top management may intervene to save it from failure, bankruptcy or takeover. For nations, its leaders and political elite can rise to the occasion and avert disaster, as Churchill and others did during the Second World War. As I switch channels from FOX to CNN, I am reminded that US politics and leadership is almost completely dysfunctional and its politicians (and media) cannot agree on anything! US voters now understand that reality and are searching for political outsiders to save the day. I think the US is in uncharted territory.
Opeyemi Agbaje
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