People's Daily (China) May 27, 1999 This Observer commentary excerpted: The US-led NATO's wanton bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and its outrageous missile attack on the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia have aroused the great indignation of the Chinese government and people and been severely condemned by the world's peace-loving countries and people. These barbaric atrocities committed by the United States have fully laid bare the hegemonist ferocious features and the imperialist nature of aggression. A worldwide observation clearly shows the armed intervention conducted by the United States against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is by no means an isolated and accidental phenomenon. It is an important measure taken by the United States to step up implementation of its global strategy of seeking hegemony at the turn of the century, and a major indication of the new development of US hegemonism. This represents a new trend in the current international situation that merits serious attention. (1) After the break-up of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, the United States, being the only superpower in the world and relying on its mighty economic, technological and military strength, has been putting on airs and swaggering about and considering itself unexcelled in the world. Its ambition of seeking domination of the world has rapidly swelled. In order to achieve its strategic goal of world domination, the United States has poked its nose everywhere into the affairs of other countries, for instance in the Balkans, the Near and Middle East and other parts of the world, in disregard of the United Nations Charter as well as related international laws and international conventions (2) The United States has established, in two lines of the East and the West, military group or military alliance in the service of US hegemonism, and built up a US-led global security system. In Europe, the United States uses NATO as an important tool for it to push its global strategy of seeking hegemony. The current war of aggression launched by US-led NATO against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia represents the beginning of implementation of its new strategy. It is the first time that NATO uses armed force to interfere in the internal affairs of another country outside its traditional defense area, thus setting a dangerous precedent of NATO's armed intervention in the affairs of a sovereign state. In the Asia-Pacific region, the United States has continued to keep its 100,000 stationed troops, intensified the US-Japan military alliance, and signed with Japan new defense cooperation guidelines. Japan's House of Representatives and Senate have passed the bills related to the new Japan-US defense cooperation guidelines, which expand the scope of US-Japan military cooperation to the entire Asia-Pacific region including China's Taiwan, posing serious threat to the peace and security in the Asian region. At the same time, the United States and Japan have decided to engage in cooperative research and development of the "war zone missile defense system (TMD), building up a missile defense system aimed at gaining military advantage. These activities indicate a major development in the US implementation of the strategy of global military alliance. (3) Increasing military investment and vigorously developing high-tech weaponry. In 1999, US defense budgeted spending is set to reach US$276.2 billion, euivalent to 1.67 times the total of the military expenses of the six countries of Russia, Britain, France, Germany, Japan and China. The United States has also decided to increase its defense budget by US$112 billion in the coming six years. To guarantee its absolute superiority in the military area, the United States has published its national missile defense system (NMD) plan. (4) The United States attempts to guide the international economic new order, and establish its status as global overlord in the economic, trade, science, technology and finance fields. (5) Launching a new cold war against the socialist countries and the third world. The United States dislikes China's adherence to the socialist road and is unwilling to see China developing into a powerful country. It applies pressure to bear on China in political and economic fields in an attempt to overwhelm China with one action. However, instead of collapse under pressure, China has developed and grown steadily and, in a brand-new posture as a large developing socialist country, stands in the galaxy of the world's nations. The United States also applies pressure on and conducts so-called containment of some other socialist countries. However, socialist countries have not vanished from the earth in compliance with the will and wishes of the West headed by the United States. Through summing up experiences and lessons and making self-improvement and self-development, socialist countries are demonstrating fresh vitality and vigor, a bright future lies before them. Flaunting the banners of "freedom", "democracy" and "human rights", the United States wantonly interferes in the internal affairs of the developing countries. The United States has tabled, year after year, motions concerning other nations' human rights at the UN human rights meetings, attempting to act as the "human right judge" and conduct "trials" of developing countries. (6) The United States and other Western countries pose challenges to the widely recognized norms of the international law, and dished out various absurd arguments, creating new "theories" for pushing through their hegemonism and power politics. They have tried hard to legalize their hegemonist acts. The essence of these arguments is, under the signboard of "human rights" and "humanitarianism", to wantonly expand their political and economic spheres of influence and push through their neo-colonialism. On the strength of its absolute superiority in the fields of information and media, the United States tries to mislead the world public opinion and deceive the people of various countries, thus boosting hegemonists' arrogance. The new development of US hegemonism is determined by its imperialist nature and deeply rooted with domestic and international as well as political and economic factors. It is the view of the US ruling clique that how to maintain its unique overlord status is the most important goal of its global strategy in the 21st century. However, it is impossible for the wishful thinking of US hegemonism to succeed. Safeguarding world peace and promoting common development is the general demand and strong desire of the world's people. That the world moving toward to multi-polarization is the inevitable trend of historical development. The essence and key point of US practice of new hegemonism attempt to establish an international order under its guidance. Regarding this, the developing countries in general will not agree, nor will even US allies. Imperialists and hegemonists invariably overestimate their own strength and underestimate the strength of the world's people. This determines that the development of things inevitably turns out to be contrary to their wishes, and that the rock they lift only drops on their own toes. A striking example is their aggression against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. US implementation of hegemonism and power politics is the main root cause of threat to world peace and stability, it is an unjust move that goes against the historical tide and so is utterly unpopular in the world. It is certain that as hegemonism could not achieve its aim of dominating the world during the Cold War period, so it will fail to attain its aim under the post-Cold War new situation. The world belongs to the people of various countries around the world. In the new century, all peace-loving countries and people will never allow neo-colonialists and new hegemonists to renew their domination of the world.
