English

The U.S. Street Could Spur a Global Anti-Racism Movement (CRF)

 

https://councilofcouncils.cfr.org/global-memos/how-us-civil-protests-resonate-publics-worldwide

Civil unrest in the United States following the death of George Floyd in police custody has exposed police violence and racism in the country to a global audience. President Trump’s threats to use the U.S. military to suppress protesters, and his decision to use tear gas against protesters and journalists to take a picture in front of a church, predictably led to global consternation and will inevitably limit the U.S. government’s legitimacy in criticizing other countries for using similar tactics.

Calling out the hegemon’s double standards is a cheap and convenient way of soft balancing. It was thus no surprise that the Chinese government, which is seeking to quell protests in Hong Kong, eagerly condemned Washington, as did other countries which are routinely criticized by the United States, such as Venezuela and Iran.

However, as striking as the damage to the U.S. government’s reputation is the positive way citizen protests—including the participation of non-Black demonstrators—has resonated around the world. The protests have led countries such as Brazil, Germany, and the United Kingdom to reflect on their own shortcomings, particularly racism and obstacles citizens of color face at home. It is proof of the continued global dominance and agenda-setting capacity of U.S. culture that the recent civil unrest has aroused global attention.

Despite an ongoing shift of power away from the West toward Asia, the way U.S. society reacts to the unrest—for example, some cities are considering the removal of statues of generals who defended slavery—will have a massive impact around the world. If there are moves toward structural change in the United States to combat racism more effectively in the coming years, it will undoubtedly be good news for those fighting for similar change elsewhere.

SOBRE

Oliver Stuenkel

Oliver Della Costa Stuenkel é analista político, autor, palestrante e professor na Escola de Relações Internacionais da Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV) em São Paulo. Ele também é pesquisador no Carnegie Endowment em Washington DC e no Instituto de Política Pública Global (GPPi) ​​em Berlim, e colunista do Estadão e da revista Americas Quarterly. Sua pesquisa concentra-se na geopolítica, nas potências emergentes, na política latino-americana e no papel do Brasil no mundo. Ele é o autor de vários livros sobre política internacional, como The BRICS and the Future of Global Order (Lexington) e Post-Western World: How emerging powers are remaking world order (Polity). Ele atualmente escreve um livro sobre a competição tecnológica entre a China e os Estados Unidos.

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