The EU may call it promoting “democracy”, but we in the Indo-Pacific region call it neo-colonialism. - AFP FILE PIC
The EU may call it promoting “democracy”, but we in the Indo-Pacific region call it neo-colonialism. - AFP FILE PIC

Suddenly, everyone is in "love" with the Indo-Pacific, a region that stretches from the east coast of Africa to the Pacific Island states.

On Thursday, "America is Back" and "Global Britain" disclosed their nuclear alliance — AUKUS — there. On Thursday, too, the European Union declared its Horizon Europe agenda for the region after months of to-ing and fro-ing. The Indo-Pacific region is surely becoming a crowded place. And a dangerous one, too.

No surprise for three reasons. The region is home to three-fifths of humanity. And contributes to two-thirds of global economic growth. Most importantly, China, the world's attention-grabber, is there. If "love" is what they are after, most will welcome them. No, "love" is furthest from their mind. No difference here between Washington, London or Brussels.

All three want to "promote democracy, the rule of law and human rights". Never mind if the United States, the United Kingdom and the EU have failed big time in all three areas at home. Yet, they venture to the world to teach what they have blundered at so miserably at home. Let's be blunt. Those who are good at "othering" should never be teachers.

The region should be worried about such teachers for three reasons. Start with democracy. When we think of democracy, we think of a government of the people, by the people, for the people. We think of governments by ballots, not bullets. Horizon Europe has other ideas: a government of the people, by another, for another.

The most recent showcase of this devious design was in Afghanistan. Even US President Joe Biden admitted that the Kabul mission was for "nation building", a polite word for regime change. Here are his exact words as he pulled the American troops out of Kabul: "The decision about Afghanistan isn't just about Afghanistan. It's about ending an era of major military operations to remake other countries."

We put it to Europe that the countries from the continent which sent troops to Afghanistan knew regime change was what they were after in Kabul. Brussels may not have had a direct hand in the invasion of Kabul but boots from Europe were there to make sure that regime change took place.

The EU may call it promoting "democracy", but we in the Indo-Pacific region call it neo-colonialism. Occupation followed by subjugation can't be called anything else. No difference from the barbaric years of yonder. We can spot a spade when we see one.

Now for the promotion of rules-based international order. With or without Horizon Europe, the Indo-Pacific region, let alone the world, has seen little evidence of such an order. What we witness is one rule for the West and another for the rest. A world built on such a primitive idea would not give rise to an international order but an international disorder.

Conflicts, invasions, terrorism and wars will herald such a world as they do now. Finally, human rights. Here, too, Brussels is being less than honest: the EU is not thinking of universal values, but Western values. Ours isn't a world of homogeneous people. Colours, cultures and faiths go to make the mix our world is. No one colour, culture or faith should try to rule the other out of existence.

Every colour, culture or faith has a right to exist as it wants to. White doesn't mean right. Horizon Europe should know this.