Brasil e China no Reordenamento das Relações ... - Funag

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in the pursuit of modernization. This in turn makes them differ in their
status, interest appeals and strategic choices in international relations 4 .
In the next decade, the balance of power between the West and the
rest will continue to change, and the Western dominance in international
structure will soon give way to a more balanced power system in which
both the Western and non-Western powers have their say. As the most
powerful and dominant country in the Western camp, US still enjoys
unparalleled technology and military strength. To some degree, Obama’s
reform measures have improved the US economy and its international
image. For instance, the latest report on national security strategy not
only stressed the importance of military might, but clarified the priority
of diplomacy, development, and international mechanism in resolving
disputes, preventing conflicts and maintaining peace 5 . By distancing
itself from the strategy of unilateralism and preemptive strike advocated
by the Bush administration, the report demonstrates that US is good at
correcting mistakes and reflecting on its strategies. However, the internal
and external difficulties in front of US are unlikely to be fundamentally
relieved within a short period of time. Domestically, despite that the
quickly launched bail-out plan and economic stimulus package help to
avoid an economic free-fall, US economy will grow, but sluggishly in
comparison to the rapid expansion of emerging economies. The slow
recovery will certainly curb President Obama’s ambition to revitalize
US manufacturing sector. Besides, the polarization of American politics
leads to stronger disagreements between Democrats and Republicans, and
between the White House and Capitol, making it hard to seek unity of will
and form strategic consensus, which are key to the formation of political
actions 6 . Externally, US have to spend considerable resources on the
prolonged battle against terrorism, and its conflicts with other countries
are impossible to be solved immediately. To outsource its responsibility,
Washington carried out the smile diplomacy and cooperated with many
partners, but the strategy failed to meet the expected outcome. Therefore,
4 For detailed analysis on the five types of countries or country blocs in non-Western world, see
Jin Canrong, Liu Shiqiang, “Farewell to the Western-Centrism: Reflection on the Current Status
and Future Trends of the International Structure”, International Survey. No 2, 2010, pp. 4-6.
5 The White House, National Security Strategy, May, 2010, p22, http://www.whitehouse.gov/
sites/default/files/rss_viewer/national_security_strategy.pdf.
6 o Zhang Yeliang, “Polarized US Politics: Myth or Reality”, American Studies, N 3, 2008, pp.
25-31.
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