Pacific summit

07.10.2016
Australia

In Australia, a parliamentary summit of the MIKTA organization of middle-range nations, which include Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey, and Australia, has been held.

Why now?

This alliance, which was created in opposition to BRICS on the proposal of the US satellite South Korea, appears to be beginning to rapidly disintegrate. Washington’s anti-Russian ideology is no longer attractive to rapidly developing countries and the organization still has no specific proposals, joint projects, or progress. In addition, some countries, like Mexico and Turkey, are more concerned with internal problems. After a pro-American period, Turkey, Indonesia, and partly Mexico have now begun to oppose the US’s hegemonic policies.

Even South Korea, on whose initiative MIKTA was created, is going through hard times "thanks" to their overseas owners. In the capital, many-thousands-strong protests are raging over the president’s plans to deploy a US missile defense system and prolong US troops’ occupation indefinitely.

The summit, which was called to "strengthen the ties of the participating countries”, became necessary in the context of the rapid fall of the influence of the White House on the world stage.

Why Australia?

Despite the fact that Australia is chairman for this year, the MICTA summit could have been held at any location, but it was held in the Pacific region anyway, which Washington recently called the most strategically important.

The region, which previously was almost entirely under the control of the White House, has begun to turn towards China. Local authorities of Pacific countries like Japan and South Korea, and the central government of the former colonies like the Philippines are demanding the withdrawal of US military bases. Indonesia, followed by the Philippines, has changed the direction of anti-Chinese military exercises. If Manila still holds joint US-Philippine exercises, then Jakarta, following Duterte’s visit last week, has stated that it will hold exercises of its own without the involvement of other countries for the sake of not exacerbating tensions in the South China Sea.

Meanwhile, Australia has remained virtually the only US ally in the region, which was once again proved yesterday during the visit of US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter.

Results

The summit was held in a very relaxed atmosphere, which was almost not even disturbed by the presence of the media. No serious contracts were signed and there were no loud statements even though, theoretically, the Atlanticist countries could have pushed through any declaration, for example on the investigation of the Malaysian Boeing crash, which they tried to discuss at MIKTA’s September meeting.

All of this suggests that Washington is, first of all, trying to mobilize all potential it has for a “decisive battle,” but, secondly, it is suffering failures, at least in this area.

Related links
Putin creates the Ring of Power in Pacific
South-Eastern Asia and Pacific: Trends and Forecast for 2016
Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA): A World-System Analysis
Australia
MIKTA