In a week that you see the unraveling of the above concepts in world politics and diplomacy you cannot but be excited . When global ideological rivals do sabre rattling on the world stage and outstare each other , and one blinks , you cannot but salute a moment of history for the records of our time . Lessons evolve for the world at large on how to manage diplomacy in the face of potential and imminent war , how governments can govern without succumbing to the terror of insurgents and how to call the bluff of insolent anarchists who attack governments with impunity and make citizens of some nations like Nigeria wonder if they have a political culture tailored to their sustainable survival needs in terms of both security and democracy . I write I dare say with excitement and real pleasure on the topic of the day . You will soon see why.
The invasion of Ukraine by Russia recently left global diplomacy standing on its head . But the visit of Nancy Pelosi the US Speaker to Taiwan thus calling the bluff of China against the visit has balanced global diplomacy on its feet , albeit wobbly , because of earlier American government dithering on promoting deterrence in Afghanistan . And more importantly and with an openly aggressive Russia that has a track record of treating American governments headed by Democrats and not Republicans in utmost contempt and disdain , as it dealt with this Biden Administration culminating in the insolent invasion of Ukraine by Russia recently . I shall make a comparative analysis of this event with recent events in some nations including Nigeria and show the balance of power and presidential checks and balances inherent in them in terms of global and regional politics .
The lesson for Nigeria is that any government worth its salt must deter any insurgents and rebels who challenge its legitimacy and authority with impunity . The Nigerian government must show guts and boldness in securing the territorial integrity of Nigeria like the USA did recently in affirming the independence , sovereignty and territorial integrity of Taiwan just with one visit of the leader of an arm of the US Congress to China in spite of the sabre rattling from China . The visit showed the emptiness of China’s braggadocio on Taiwan and portrayed both the Chinese Communist Party , the ruling party in China and its military , as toothless bulldogs . The steady defiance of the Taiwanese nation and military , of Chinese jets roaming over Taiwan on the eve of the visit , showed that modern warfare , deterrence and defence are an amalgam of guilt edge , state of the art technology , science , artificial intelligence and monitoring to block or deflect potential areal threats and the Taiwanese showed that new wars are not a game of large populations and big territories alone .
The Pelosi visit also showed the fine line of the separation of powers inherent in American presidential system of checks and balances . The American president knew of the visit and despite a recent telephone conversation with the Chinese president that the US will be playing with fire if the visit went on , the American government did not openly ask the Speaker , head of an arm of the US Congress not to perform her duty because that would be unconstitutional interference of the executive arm of government in the function of the legislature, another arm of government in the US presidential system of government .
It is necessary to compare events in Sri Lanka and Nigeria and some how Spain where imprisoned rebels who won election were allowed to be sworn in as Parliamentarians . The events in these three nations showed a weakness of security and political authority . They showed the antithesis of strong political institutions and government .
In Sri Lanka a government was swept out of office after weeks of street protests culminating in the occupation of the presidential palace and the president fleeing into exile like that of Afghanistan on the eve of the take over of Kabul by the Taliban recently .The Sri Lankan government whose leader got popular because as a general in the nation’s army he defeated the notorious Tamil Tigers rebels threatening the stability of Sri Lanka became so corrupt and the people got so hungry and annoyed that they sent the government parking and protesters were seen swimming in the presidential palace swimming pool with no security men to deter or remove them That is failure of government in full swing and I wish the Sri Lankan people the best of luck in sanitizing their political space without violence .
In Spain the issue was about secession and national sovereignty . A rebel government in Catalonia a region of Spain declared itself independent but the rebellion was quashed by the sovereign government in Spain and the leaders of the government tried and jailed .But a few of them even in jail contested and won parliamentary elections and two of them had to be brought in from prison to be sworn in but they would not be allowed to vote on formation of government coalitions . The government itself has a slim majority about two and that suits the government . That is democracy on tenterhooks . Yet the fact that they were sworn in showed the strength and virility of Spanish democracy . Spanish democracy has taught successfully with military might that sovereignty and territorial integrity of Spain cannot be challenged with impunity by rebels and dare devil insurgents.
We round up with Nigeria where the talk of the town of the town is rampant insecurity and the fear of the Muslim Muslim ticket of the ruling APC . Government spokesmen have decried the concerns on insecurity as exaggerated and attacked a section of the media as glamorizing terrorism and insurgency . Which is not realistic and responsible . Social media could be accused of exaggeration and calumny driven by the opposition to bring government down but that does not detract from the grim reality that federal government and governance nationally is under serious security risk . It is the duty of the national formal media to report the truth and saying it as it is the duty of the free press and Nigeria has the most robust in Africa if not the world for now . The cancellation of railway routes linking important economic and trade routes announced by the Nigerian Railway Corporation this week because of terrorists attacks is an acknowledgement of insecurity by government . It places a huge potential repayment burden on the Nigerian government to its Chinese construction partners who are notorious for not ever giving free lunches .A nasty loan repayment failure looms ominously in an horizon of insecurity that threatens further insecurity and political and economic stability . Nobody should be branded a doomsayer for saying the omens are not right . It is time for the Nigerian government to do a Pelosi on insurgency and insecurity in Nigeria .Just as the American Speaker did in calling the bluff of the toothless dog that China turned out to be over its bluff that the US would be playing with fire if it allowed the visit to Taiwan . As the saying goes , a stitch in time saves nine .