Nnanda Kizito Sseruwagi.
The Global Security Initiative is one of China’s multiple International public governance resources. It was conceived by comrade Xi Jin Ping in an effort to secure world peace by trumping dialogue over duel, partnership over divisive-coalition, and mutual benefit over winner-take-all. China has always articulated its vision for the future of mankind as defined by the shared well-being of the global community.
In this, China views its security as a part of the security of the whole world and seeks not to martial military superiority over other countries as a guarantee of its security, rather it aims to ensure that all countries feel safe and respected. While certain countries seem to monopolize international affairs and build their national defenses behind walls of alliances built on military strength, China has sought multipolarity. Multipolarity should not be misunderstood as disarray or division. It speaks clearly to the objectives and principles of the United Nations Charter of upholding universally recognized basic norms of international governance.
The principles expressed in the Global Security Initiative (GSI) are: Commitment to the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security; Commitment to respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries; Commitment to abiding by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter; Commitment to taking the legitimate security concerns of all countries seriously; Commitment to peaceful resolution of differences and disputes between countries through dialogue and consultation; And commitment to maintaining security in both traditional and non-traditional domains.
Africa was keenly considered in the formulation of the principles of the GSI. China detailed ways of supporting our security in the Concept Paper that proposed the initiative in ways that empower us to independently and locally address our security challenges through the African Union and regional organizations.
One of China’s strategies to secure world peace and security is by promoting global development. The GSI is interlinked with other initiatives such as the Global Development Initiative. Many of the challenges destabilizing nations are due to underdevelopment. The struggle over scarce resources condemns countries to fight, although these conflicts sometimes may appear along lines of ethnic, religious or other forms of identity politics. But the root causes are often economic. China seems to understand well the complexity of these security challenges. Therefore, the GSI is designed to boldly confront the root causes of these international crises by encouraging combined international efforts to improve global security governance. This is where the promise for a durably peaceful world lies.
In a world of fast-paced change where not only new but much more complex security challenges emerge every day, it is important to establish mechanisms for international security cooperation. The GSI is already working to harness this cooperation in dealing with counter-terrorism, biosecurity, cybersecurity and other non-traditional domains of security. This cooperation involves exchanges in military academies, and sharing training opportunities to prepare experts who will address the world’s future security risks.
If the world is to have a sustainable security architecture, countries must view their security as indivisibly linked to the security of other countries. Israel will find it difficult to find peace unless Palestine finds peace. All countries are each other’s keepers. They should not make the mistake of pursuing national security at the expense of insecurity in other countries.
Peaceful dispute resolution is also a central feature of the GSI. China has recently spearheaded talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia which bore reconciliation. This example set in the Middle East inspired good neighborliness in that corner of the world. There are always peaceful solutions to all of the world’s security troubles. The GSI sees to it that conflicting parties always attempt these solutions. In that spirit, China has called for the de-escalation and finding of a political settlement to the Ukraine crisis; facilitated peace talks to solve the conflicts in northern Myanmar, and published a Position Paper alongside pushing the U.N. Security Council to adopt the very first resolution on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict since it erupted.
Does the global security order need reform? I think yes. It needs to be changed. It is not sustainable to have one global hegemon suspended over the rest of the countries in the world as the dominance of the United States increasingly feels. A more multipolar world is desirable. If international security is national security in the global arena, then all nations deserve to feel secure in the global system. As tempting as it may be, a country with the biggest military fist should not have the final say on international matters/matters of other countries. It is unacceptable that some countries should sit on the global security table while others are merely on their menu. We need inclusive global security. The GSI promises that.
Skeptics have held that these initiatives by China are simply high-voltage propaganda platitudes through which China seeks to establish its global interests. But besides this cynicism, there have been practical fruits harvested from implementing both the Global Security Initiative as well as the Global Development Initiative. And as our president – Yoweri Museveni once remarked, if the Chinese betray the spirit in which our engagement with them has blossomed, they will face similar resistance as we served colonialists. This sentiment was equally shared by one of China’s former leaders, Deng Xiaoping. So, sorry skeptics, for now, we are good.
The author is a senior research fellow at the Development Watch Centre.
