During the work on the peace process in the 1990s, I was the interpreter for the late President Hafez Al-Assad, and it struck me how much the Americans used the term “constructive ambiguity”. They believe that this expression helps to move things forward, and then when a common ground on certain points is reached, a clearer narrative can be pursued. The late President Hafez Al-Assad always insisted on knowing not only what the words mean but also how they may be interpreted and understood by future generations. His eyes were always on history and how his deals are going to be seen after he departs his office.

I recalled many of these junctures when I read about the visit of Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the US House of Representatives, to Taiwan. Although there are three official documents signed by the US, in which they acknowledge the unity of China, she still made a state visit to Taiwan claiming that it doesn’t change the status quo. The ambiguity the Americans pursued regarding this visit was worthy of subtle analysis. President Biden said he cannot order the Speaker not to pay this visit, and she said the Americans have an obligation to support "democracies against tyrannies." China issued many warnings that this visit will be seen by China as a violation of the US acknowledged One China policy according to negotiated and signed agreements. 

The US didn’t want to budge for fear that its hegemony and image as the only superpower would be badly affected. The difference between the actions and reactions of the two major powers in the world is indicative not only of the stage in which we are in world history, but also of their diametrically opposed ways of thinking and acting.

The phase we are in at the moment witnesses the deterioration of the state of the Western countries in more ways than one as if the Russian operation in Ukraine has opened Pandora's box in the Western world. This was preceded by clear proof of the fragility of their health systems and lack of ability to deal with a state of emergency exposed in their dealing with Covid, which China handled with amazing efficiency and effectiveness. Prior to the Russian military operation in Ukraine, the Western narrative created the impression that they will put an end to Russia if Russia dares to do anything against Western will. Now, over five months into the operation, the question that should be asked is: Where do the state of Russia and the Russian people stand in comparison to the state of the West and the Western people?

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The Russian ruble is much stronger than it was prior to the war, and the Russian people have oil, electricity, and food, while the Euro has lost at least %20 of its value, and so did the US dollar in real terms. People in Western countries are suffering from the horrid effects of inflation and the rise in prices, which means that many of them are much poorer today than they were before the Ukraine war. European countries started power cuts in their towns, and in a few years, Western goods will find no way to compete with Chinese, Russian, Indian or Turkish, or Iranian goods as these countries are buying oil from Russia at preferable prices, while the prices of oil in most Western countries have almost doubled. 

As for the benefit the US has reaped from the visit of Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan compared with the losses, one can say that the most important message the US wanted to convey from this visit is that the US is still the only ultimate power in the world and that it can do what it sees fit without anyone having the ability to influence its decision in any way. This was accompanied by images of Pelosi on the way to Taiwan and in Taiwan with provocative statements, which reveal that American experts have so far failed to understand the Chinese mentality and their way of work. While the Americans value impression over fact and image over reality, the Chinese are only interested in substance and real figures. 

The Chinese response to the American show-visit was to start military maneuvers including those with live ammunition in 6 areas around Taiwan from August 04-07. In these maneuvers, the Chinese Army was able to show both the Americans and their supporters inside Taiwan that at any moment of their choice, the Chinese can have the Island and its strait under their clip. Taking into account the fact of geography, there is no way that the US can override China as far as Taiwan is concerned. They reiterated to the minds of the world that the US which recognized the Chinese Republic in 1979 is contradicting itself through this policy toward Taiwan. No sooner Pelosi was back than they issued sanctions against her and her family members. The Chinese also canceled high-level meetings, which were due to take place between the Chinese and US ministries of defense, and ended coordination with the US in many domains. 

The balance between China and the US regarding Pelosi’s visit is certainly in China’s favor. It is the Chinese strategic clarity that has defeated the American strategic ambiguity, which has been used by the Americans to get away with many things against the freedom and rights of people in the world. Today, they are facing China with thousands of years of civilization behind it and well-studied, long-term thoughts and plans with eyes always fixated on the final goal. The race has just started, and China is making leaps ahead of the US. There is no doubt that we are witnessing the true dawn of a multipolar world that we are all eager to live in.