Shedding the Golden Straitjacket - What just happened in China

 

By Mike Smith

02 September 2025

Yesterday ended the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in China that was held at the   Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Centre in Tianjin, China.

At first glance it looked like a bunch of international leaders having a fat chat about working together, blah, blah, blah…but it was a lot deeper and more important than that.

That meeting will change the world as we knew it since 1990.

Gone is the post-Cold War time where there was only one Super Power; America, along with all its One World Order lackeys, allies and organisations such as the UN, IMF, World Bank, etc.

Thomas L. Friedman coined the term “Golden Straightjacket in his 1999 book, “The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization”.

Basically, since 1990, if you did what the West dictated to you such as deregulation, democracy, and just generally become more Western and using Dollars, it would go well with you. You would have a strong currency, economic growth and tons of money would be thrown at you in the name of “development”.

Sure, you would lose a bit of your sovereignty, but it would be like wearing a loose-fitting comfortable golden straightjacket.

If you resisted, that straight jacket would be pulled tighter and tighter until you could not breath, let alone move, anymore. If you returned to what the West prescribed to you, the straightjacket would slack again.

This whole Western bullying attempt was nothing but coercion, bribery and intimidation. Small countries were basically powerless against it and just had to comply. The alternatives were sanctions, economic isolation, political isolation and as some countries have found out…American bombs raining down on you.

Fortunately, there is one thing that all totalitarian bullies, including the Arrogant West underestimate and that is the desire of the Human Spirit to be free. At the end of the day they all collapse because of it.

American Arrogance believes that Americans have the best National Anthem, culture, cuisine, language, nature…the best sport, the best political system and everyone should be like them. They honestly believe that the world admires them, worships them, see them as “liberators” (not conquerors) and would WANT to be like them.

For some or other reason they cannot believe why most of the world hates them. Instead of doing introspection, they blame the others. “It must be them, not us”.

Be it as it may, that time has come to an end last weekend. Western hegemony and unipolarity are dead. Sanctions don’t work. Tariffs are laughed at.

Russia, China, India and all the BRICS countries are shedding the Golden Straightjacket and putting alternatives in its place. There are more than 21 countries lining up for BRICS membership.

Would you rather prefer an Eastern One World Order over a Western One World Order? Personally, none. I much prefer the Multipolar New World Order taking shape. Too much power in the hands of one group, is never a good idea.