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Egoism, Overbearing Psychology
Positive progress has been achieved in international disarmament, military control and non-proliferation after the conclusion of the Cold War, the CTBT (Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty) passed by the UN General Assembly in 1996 pushed international disarmament and military control to a climax.
However, in recent years, a tendency of stagnation and even retrogression has appeared in the process of international disarmament and military control: the eastern expansion of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and the intensified military cooperation between the United States and Japan have given prominence to the role of military alliance in international relations; the Kosovo War endangered the US-Russian relations, aggravated the worsening situation regarding international disarmament and military control; the US bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia brought Sino-US dialogs on military control to a standstill; the increasingly intense arms race caused a sudden drop in the sense of security among the vast number of small and medium-sized countries, motive force was lacking in general disarmament; In defiance of opposition from the international community, in particular, the United States insists on deploying its missile defense system, attempts to revise the Anti-ballistic Missile Treaty, substantially increases its military expenditures, and refuses to approve the CTBT, all these actions have brought the foundation for international disarmament and military control to the verge of collapse. Currently, international disarmament and military control have fallen to the lowest point since the end of the Cold War.
The fact that international disarmament and military control fell to a slump is closely related with the inflation of the hegemonic arrogance of the United States. After the conclusion of the Cold War, the economic strength of the United States is the greatest in the world, its military force is very powerful like the sun in the mid-sky.
Stimulated by strength and prestige, the US hegemonic ambition has rapidly expanded and the pace of establishing a single-pole world has quickened with each passing day. The United States is aware that it is difficult for it to dominate the world by relying merely on economic and political superiority, and that it can win the world overlord-ship only by establishing its ultra-strong position.
For this end, the United States has dramatically increased its military expenditures, reaching US$276.2 billion in 1999, the figure jumped to 288.8 billion in 2000, 1.5 times the combined total of the military expenditures of Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Russia and China, furthermore, it will make an additional military expenditure of US$112 billion between 2000-2005. Apart from increasing its national defense spending, the United States has also speeded up the development of high-tech weaponry and equipment, and develop outer space weapons at full speed, so as to seize the power of control over outer space.
Prompted by the hegemonic desire, the United States has developed ever-deeper blind-faith in its mighty strength and high-tech weapon system, the valuable experience gained from the shadow of the Cold War in those years has been completely cast away, the prudent and responsible practice is considered to be inopportune. The behavior of the United States has undoubtedly aggravated the contradiction between the United States and other countries, including its allies, has stimulated new arms race, thereby leading to the serious hindrance to the process of international disarmament and military control, even to the emergence of "negative disarmament".
While pressing ahead with its global hegemony, the United States has become even more worried about its security because it has made too many enemies. For this reason, it has spared no efforts to increase its own security as far as possible at the expense of the security of other countries. The United States has tried its utmost to exaggerate missile threat from so-called "rascal countries" and, taking this as a pretext, has developed and deployed the missile defense system.
As a matter of fact, people understand from their hearts the question regarding against whom are the missiles directed. To put it in a nutshell, the move of the United States is taken not only to defend against the so-called "rascal countries", but more importantly, is to deal with China, Russia and other countries regarded by the United States as potential rivals that may possibly constitute a challenge to its position in the 21st century, its aim is to render other countries' "spears" useless, while making itself both offensive and defensive and ensuring its absolute security. Isn't this a naked egoism and outright hegemonic behavior?
The United States also adopts an egoistic attitude toward the international disarmament and military control treaty. The process from its action of vetoing CTBT to its intention to revise the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty has made it clear to the people the worrying unilateral development tendency of US diplomacy. Chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Jesse Helms, in order to veto the CTBT, said in his argument: we must be able to re-establish the US prestige on the question of preventing nuclear proliferation, this prestige is established not on a mere scrap of paper, but on definite determination, reliable nuclear deterrent power and on a real defense system against ballistic missile attack. This short remark clearly reveals the essence of US unilateral diplomatic line: The United States is to unswervingly intensify its military superiority, it does not want to rely on, still less want to be placed under the control of the effort for international cooperation and institutional arrangement. And this is a fact. Whether from its vetoing the CTBT or from its revising the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, the United States proceeds completely from self absolute security in its attitude toward international treaties, this, without a doubt, has seriously harmed the authority of international treaties and has tremendously lowered the binding force of international treaties.
At present, a series of international disarmament and military control treaties are faced with severe tests. In addition to the above-mentioned CTBT and the ABMT, due to the fact that the United States transfers or cooperates with other countries and regions to develop, the theater missile defense system, which has resulted in unavoidable missile technological proliferation, the missile technology control system is actually in crisis.
At the same time, due to the obstruction of the United States, so far no progress has been achieved in the negotiation on the treaty on banning the use of fissionable materials for nuclear weapons and other nuclear blast devices, and the convention on banning chemical weapons is also being thwarted due to the domestic law of the United States. Clearly, the United States bears inescapable responsibility for the international disarmament and military control treaty currently being landed in a predicament.
A quarter of century has passed since the signing of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, people have gained therefrom a very valuable experience: The security of any country is relative. If a country wildly attempts to intensify its military strength to guarantee its own security, then it is bound to cause its rivals to adopt corresponding measures, the result can only be more insecure. The only practical way to seek security is to engage in international cooperation and guarantee common security through mutual restriction and a definite international mechanism. So far, this is the one of the most profound and most valuable understandings and cognition achieved by humankind on the question of international security in the nuclear times, to this date, it is still of most important value and significance.
Ignoring the desire of the international community for general disarmament and military control, the United States is doing as it pleases and acting recklessly, obviously this runs counter to the historical tide featuring peace and development of today's world, the result can only be harming other while bringing no benefit for oneself, in that case, the whole world, including the United States, will see no days of tranquility.
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