By Dr. Sawraj Singh
Sixty years ago, on July 27, 1953, the Korean War ended. There was a very big victory parade in Beijing. The one million volunteers of the People’s Liberation Army saluted Mao. This was the biggest morale booster for the new China which had emerged on the world scene just three years before. It defeated the leading world power, America, which had never experienced a defeat since its inception. It was also a big personal loss for General Douglas MacArthur, the Second World War hero who had a big chance of being elected President of the country. I am sure America regrets ignoring the Chinese warning, which was conveyed through the Indian Ambassador to China, Mr. K.M. Panikkar.
China had clearly warned America that if American troops crossed the 38th Parallel, then it will retaliate. However, not only did the American troops cross the 38th Parallel, but they were marching toward the Sino-Korean border. China was very concerned about defending the Northeast region of China because that had the industrial base of China.
General Douglas MacArthur also admitted in his writings that his intention was to cross the border and invade China. 60 years later, the victory is being celebrated in Pyongyang. There was a huge victory parade. The Chinese media also claimed victory in the war and went on to claim that the experience made the Chinese army stronger. Compared to the North Korean and the Chinese media, the America media has been almost completely subdued about the war. This is not just because of the defeat in the war, but also because of waning American influence in the world today.
The victory in Libya has turned sour. There was the gruesome death of the American Ambassador, Christopher Stevens. Now, 1,200 prisoners have escaped from a prison in Benghazi. Gaddafi followers are on the offensive again. They have started reading the green book again. The pro-western authorities are totally ineffective. They have almost completely lost control. The victory has turned into a nightmare.
Syria has become the turning point of the decline of American influence as well as the revival of Russian influence in the world. The pro-western forces are taking a big beating in Homs, their strongest hold, and are on the retreat. Morsi, the Egyptian President who gave a call for overthrowing Assad, has himself been overthrown. The Arab League has learned the bitter lesson that it lost in a big way by joining the West in it is campaign to overthrow Gaddafi and Assad. Egypt, the country with the biggest Arab population, is on the brink of a civil war. Iran is becoming stronger and more stable; its relations with Russia will be boosted by Putin’s impending visit.
President Bush’s claim of smashing the Axis of Evil has been shattered. Syria, Iran, and North Korea all have come out stronger. North Korea is celebrating the victory in the Korean War in a big way. It is also adding insult to injury by prominently displaying and publicly showing USS Pueblo, the captured American Navy ship.
It is sad that while the trends of the Rise of the East and the decline of the West are becoming obvious, yet the two most developed countries of Asia have not given up their vestiges of western slavery. The American troops continue to occupy South Korea and Japan. This is a matter of great shame and humiliation not only for these two countries, but for the whole of Asia. The 21st century is Asia’s century, yet the two leading Asian countries have chosen not to break away with their slavish and defeatist past. However, their inglorious stand will not change the fact that Asia is destined to regain its glory in the 21st century.
Dr. Sawraj Singh, MD F.I.C.S. is the Chairman of the Washington State Network for Human Rights and Chairman of the Central Washington Coalition for Social Justice. He can be reached at [email protected].
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