In the blockbuster animation movie Ne Zha 2, the mythological boy has an inspirational message: We are in control of our fate and destiny. The Washington consensus, however, is the opposite: America’s success depends on the failure of other nations. Thus, the US foreign policy establishment spends much of its time fueling perpetual wars, economic crises and color revolutions all over the world. Furthermore, while Ne Zha is a noble kid who is vilified as a demon, the US is parading as a benevolent leader who spreads freedom and democracy.

A recent article in Foreign Affairs argues that American leadership is good for the Global South, and that the world must strengthen the US-led international world order. Interestingly, much of the article is about how the US has disregarded international treaties even when signed by US presidents.

Let’s start with the American leaders’ favorite phrase, “international rules-based order.” What are these rules? Nobody knows. The rules have never been written down or even articulated. It is a lawless and order-free propaganda phrase that boils down to one principle: The US must always win.

For example, should countries respect and follow the ruling of the International Criminal Court (ICC) or the International Court of Justice (ICJ)? Answer: Only when the indicted are enemies of the US empire.

Treaties, agreements and promises mean nothing to the US. After promising not to expand NATO “one inch eastward” in 1990, the US added a staggering 16 countries to its NATO empire. The US also unilaterally withdrew from major treaties with Russia - the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

Similarly, the US promise of treating the island of Taiwan as a part of China is always fungible. Just this week, the US State Department removed from its website the statement, “We do not support Taiwan independence.”

The US claims to spread freedom and democracy, but the reality has been very different. From Latin America to Africa and Asia to the Middle East, the US has long interfered in the name of fighting communism or spreading democracy. However, the primary goal was always to install puppet leaders to advance its own strategic goals. Since the 1980s, various US government-funded groups like USAID and the National Endowment for Democracy have mastered the art of toppling leaders through protests and “democratic” coups. How about that for universal values and human rights?

Sometimes, if a country wanted to have elections, the US deep state worked hard to make sure that a pro-US leader won the election - as was done in many “allies.” CIA agents in the past have revealed how they would go around with suitcases full of cash to bribe the right people or plant fake stories in the media to manipulate elections.

The US empire has not delivered prosperity or stability to the Global South. The developing nations are always viewed as sources for cheap natural resources, exploitable labor and a consumer market for American corporations. It was the US who mastered the original debt trap, as detailed by John Perkins in his remarkable expose, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man.

While the US has made commendable contributions to technology, its imperialist adventures have been disastrous for the world. Neo-colonialism has also been bad for America, which is plagued with exploding debt, appalling inequality, crumbling infrastructure and crippling deindustrialization. The rapid expansion of BRICS over the last three years is a polite rejection of American hegemony as well as its economic and diplomatic models. A multipolar world is emerging and it is unstoppable.