Slouching towards multilateralism

Cutting back on the excesses of US exceptionalism by which it makes the rules but doesn't necessarily abide by them would be a good start. The US leads the world in arms sales, so-called "conventional weapons", the horrific use of which does not constitute crossing a red line. The US also possesses chemical weapons, used napalm to brutal effect in Vietnam and currently uses chemicals to execute death row prisoners. And don't even think about sharing videos of civilians killed by US aerial strikes; former US Army soldier Bradley Manning did just that and he's behind bars now.

The imperial long table at which the US presides like a king needs to be replaced by a round table of major powers, where mutual respect is accorded to all. Despite his strongman posturing, Putin showed a willingness to sit at such a table, and indeed his country is an important stakeholder with a role to play in bringing peace to Syria.

China has managed to stay mostly out of the fray, but has been quietly insistent on a diplomatic solution to Syria's woes.

Nothing drove home US isolation more powerfully than the way Britain, America's closest ally, and over-eager supporter of the morally bankrupt war in Iraq, flatly refused to support the US plan for military intervention in Syria despite Prime Minister David Cameron's insistence on launching an attack.

This downshift in US supremacy is nothing to be downcast about; the US is, and will continue to be, a key player for decades to come. But the reality of a multipolar world does call for greater prudence and caution in projecting power, especially when it comes to violent intervention abroad.

One can see an evolution, from the brutal and foolish unilateralism, which characterized the trumped-up war in Iraq, to the cautious multilateralism that the crisis in Syria requires. This does not necessarily represent a diminution of US influence, but a new kind of influence that is being conducted in concert with other nations.

The over-taxed, under-appreciated citizens of the US need not mourn the passing of America's unilateral moment, rather they should welcome the sharing of heavy burdens when it comes to the thankless burden of policing the world.

Multilateralism has its constraints and frustrations, but it is rightly intolerant of letting any single leader launch punitive expeditions or declare a war at will, and as such provides useful checks and balances. At the same time, putting more effort into working with the UN, and less effort into undermining it - and spying on it - will help the US to mend relations with strong, self-respecting partners like Russia, China and Brazil.

There's no simple formula to stop Syria's civil war, but adding bombs to the mix, and supplying weapons to radical jihadi fighters is unlikely to bring about peace.

Working with other countries for a diplomatic solution to this and other vexing problems may not be easy, and it may not make optimal use of America's awesome arsenal, but paradoxically it will strengthen the US if the careless habit of being a go-it-alone cowboy can be converted into a willingness to do the hard work of working with others for a more just world.

The author is a visiting research fellow at Cornell University, New York.

(China Daily 09/25/2013 page9)