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Sunday, December 12, 2021
Britain Attempts to be "Spiritual Leader" in the "Britain-United States Axis"
Kung Chan

In a speech delivered by the British Foreign Minister Liz Truss not long ago at Chatham House, one of the world's oldest and most influential think tanks in a landmark building on James's Square in London, she claimed that Britain and the entire West should not be "ashamed" of the past (i.e., colonial) history.

Truss said that after the end of the Cold War in 1990, many in the West "breathed a sigh of relief" and began to lose interest in reshaping the world and turned their attention to internal affairs. She appeared to be rather unhappy about the "inward turning" of the Western world. She believes that this will lead to a sharp cut in the defense budget, and fields such as natural gas and 5G are increasingly dependent on China and Russia. "This complacency is being exploited by those who never stopped fighting the global battle of ideas", Truss said. More importantly, she pretended to be surprised and emphasized that "In fashionable circles, people talked about how we should be ashamed of our history and doubtful about our future".

Pointing out another option to the free world, Truss believes that the West must first liberate itself from the baggage of colonial history.

Liz Truss was not alone in this. In August 2020, Prime Minister Boris Johnson himself declared that the British should no longer be embarrassed by its (slavery and colonial) history. At that time, the BBC decided to drop the lyrics of the two songs 'Land of Hope and Glory' and 'Rule, Britannia!', only to broadcast the instrumental version, as the lyrics were related to British colonialism and slavery. Johnson was very upset about this. He publicly stated in the media, "I think it's time we stopped our cringing embarrassment about our history, about our traditions, and about our culture, and we stopped this general bout of self-recrimination and wetness".

The aftermath of the defeat of the United States in Afghanistan still echoes throughout the world. The hope for a prosperous Afghanistan with a democratic and centralized government is completely dashed, and a large amount of investment has gone along with the fall of such an ideal, which has not been recognized by the Afghans themselves in any case. This has caused the American passion for liberty to collapse first from outside the United States. The first to notice this collapsed reality was the very representative of the former old colonial power, that is, Britain. For the British, the failure of the United States in Afghanistan now in turn proves the success and correctness of the British Empire's history.

A diplomat of British aristocratic background pointed out the problems of the United States when the latter expelled the Taliban from Kabul for the first time. In the world, there are two types of system output modes: American and British (Note: This is my definition, not his original words).

Although British colonists may be racists or exploiters, they took the people they ruled seriously. They had those who were ready to dedicate their lives to a dangerous land in a strange country, and they invested in education, requiring military officers to learn local languages. They established efficient national institutions, trained local elites, and provided countless services to those who were willing to study to manage colonized places with the help of research institutes, museums, Royal Geographical Society, and Royal Botanic Gardens. They attempted to balance local budgets and expand fiscal revenues. Had they not actively done so, they would not be able to account for their own government, and there would be uprisings in the colonies. After World War II, the British had clearly observed the United States for decades. Those elites in the United States acted according to the scholarly manuals, who tried their best to avoid being accused of the sins of racism, exploitation, and repression. Unlike the British, the Americans were never willing to dedicate their entire lives to a certain place. Instead, they usually want to establish a large government that is "democratic," "rich", "strong," and "free" in the place they "colonized". Of course, from Vietnam to Afghanistan, such an effort often fails.

The great powers of the world are never inward-looking. The world exists first, before the great powers. Otherwise, no matter how powerful a country is, it will only be a lamb to be slaughtered by other forces in the world. Therefore, the competition in the world, first of all, is the competition of worldviews among different nations, not just the competition of strength and resources. Even if it is a major power like the United States, it could still waste all its resources, and gain nothing. As a matter of fact, the United States is still repeating these failures, from theory to practice, while it takes amazing courage to replicate these great fiascos. Therefore, the shocking remarks made by Liz Truss in Chatham House are probably not spontaneous, but rather it could mark a new trend of conservatism is resurging in the world where in such views, British colonial history would be the right thing. Those who are unwilling to accept this will have to continue to choose war and poverty. Otherwise, it is necessary to recognize the superiority of the British in terms of historical and cultural value and lead in the civilized world.

The Americans are leaving, and the British are taking their place.

While I am not interested in a think tank like Chatham House, I understand what its next step will be, and they will do everything in their power to prove that everything I have said above is correct in accordance with their wishes.

Britain will play the role of the world's "spiritual leader" in the future, not the United States. The United States will continue to provide financial, technological and resource support, and will follow the pace and direction set by Britain. This is the future essence of the "Britain-United States Axis". In the future, it will be Britain's turn to have the final say. This seems to be somewhat unbelievable, but in my opinion, it may turn out to be true.

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