US should not use its superpower status to bully SA into being its puppet

Since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, the United States has been doing its best to ensure that South Africa has to choose between the West and the East. But, instead, SA has chosen a neutral stance and is advocating for a peaceful resolution of this conflict.

And due to America’s dissatisfaction with this stance, relations between the US and SA have been frictional and hostile.

This was evident in last year’s terrorist alert in Sandton, Johannesburg, when the US embassy issued a public statement aimed at causing panic without discussing the security threat with the SA government. In so doing, the US blatantly undermined the authority of SA’s government altogether.

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The International Criminal Court (ICC) recently issued a warrant of arrest for Russian President Vladimir Putin, valid when he lands in South Africa for the Brazil, Russia, India, China and SA (Brics) summit in August.

This has put the SA government at the crossroads: either they succumb to the US influence, or side with Russia. America has been putting unnecessary pressure on SA. This raises concerns as to why they are so invested in the ICC’s business, when the US is not even part of the ICC.

The US is seriously interested in seeing the relationship between SA and Russia collapse. The reason is that the US is threatened by the balance of forces tipping towards the communist world instead of the capitalist world.

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They are truly shaken at the possibility of America’s hegemony in global politics slipping through their fingers. Hence, they now engage in cheap tactics to discredit SA.

Last Thursday, US ambassador Reuben Brigety II claimed SA had supplied weapons to Russia amid the hostilities between Russia and Ukraine. All diplomatic protocols were violated and this should be viewed as such.

Russia has all the weapons it needs and, even if SA had supplied weapons to Russia, all SA weapons sales have to be vetted by a Cabinet committee and no official decision had been taken to supply Russia, according Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana.

“If it did happen, as the Americans claim, it could be the conduct of people who are mischief makers,” said Godongwana.

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South Africa’s integrity is being undermined, for if the country supplied arms to Russia, our non-aligned stance would be impracticable. Therefore, this claim is untrue. SA does not have the capacity to provide the weapons that Russia needs for war.

And although the US ambassador reportedly apologised, the dust has not settled. Relations are fractured. As long as the US acts hypocritically, diplomatic relations will remain hostile.

America can’t afford to act righteously because they are the reason that this war between Russia and Ukraine is being waged. They are supplying weapons to Ukraine and the world has been keeping quiet. America has no right to act like the policeman of the world and raise the flag of human rights.

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When Saddam Hussein of Iraq was hanged by the Iraqi government for crimes against humanity and Muammar Gaddafi of Libya was captured by National Transitional Council forces following a Nato strike and killed shortly afterwards, the world was forced to keep silent.

If America wants to start a 21st century Cold War, they should do it on their own without involving South Africa. The US can’t expect their enemies to be SA’s enemies. SA is a sovereign state capable of making its own decisions and choosing its own friends.

This tendency of America to use its superpower status to bully other nations and have its fingers in every pie should come to an end. This is not the way to advance multilateralism. We now live in a new era and should embrace the spirit of cooperation.

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There is a lot of money involved between Brics nations and America should not try to destabilise that. The US should not use its trade relationship with South Africa to bully SA into being its puppet. That is not a productive way to solidify relations between the two countries.

It is a modern-day form of imperial colonialism.

-Mthembu is an independent commentator