Finnish president: US no longer “benign hegemon”

The United States is no longer a force for good in global leadership, with its strikes on Iran conducted without consulting allies serving as evidence, Finnish President Alexander Stubb told the British newspaper The Sunday Telegraph.

“And the difference is that in the olden days, when the US was a benign hegemon, it would consult its allies first [before intervening] in Libya, in Iraq and in Afghanistan, and it would also seek the approval of the UN Security Council. And, failing that, it would go with its allies. This time around, the United States has acted alone, or together with Israel, without informing allies,” Stubb said.

When asked to define the US role in one word, he replied: “I won’t give it an adjective, but it is a different type of hegemon,” he replies. “It is still very strong. It is not relying on its allies in the same way.”

Stubb also highlighted Europe’s position in US foreign policy priorities. “Number one is the western hemisphere. That’s the focus on Venezuela and Cuba – and unfortunately on Greenland. Second is the Indo-Pacific. Third is Europe – only third. Fourth is the Middle East: of course, that might now change with the ongoing war. And then five is Africa,” he said.

“So this is the reality that we Europeans have to live with. So my message to my European friends and to my American friends is: don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. Salvage what you can of the trans-Atlantic partnership – like Nato, like defence – and then cordially disagree on tariffs, on climate change and on other things,” the Finnish president added.

By Jeyhun Aghazada