International community? Illustration: Chen Xia/Global Times

The world is facing the worst development dilemma in more than 70 years, a human crisis with five parallel disasters. 

Pandemic, climate change, food shortage, war and inflation - the five factors that could lead to human disasters - broke out in the same period. This is the direct reason why the world is currently in such a terrible status. 

According to the WHO, nearly 15 million more people died during the pandemic than would have in normal times. In March, US' National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said that 2022 will rank among the 10-warmest years on record. There is also a study showing that climate change acceleration is responsible for 5 million deaths globally every year. An annual report launched earlier this month by the Global Network Against Food Crises - an international alliance of the UN, revealed that nearly 200 million people suffered from acute food insecurity in 2021. In April, The UN High Commissioner for Refugees reported that more than five million Ukrainians have been forced to flee their country in less than two months given the ongoing conflict, the worst refugee crisis since the end of World War II. 

When it comes to inflation, there are more various research reports, which touch upon the situation in Europe and the US. Since March, the inflation rate, which has been higher than 7 percent, even over 8 percent, could likely cause an economic crisis far worse than the 2008 financial crisis in Europe and the US. 

There are also unprecedented, serious dilemma, which we have not encountered since the end of WWII. Europe faces its most dangerous security crisis since the end of the WWII. The US has weaponized finance and seized quite a number of overseas assets of Russia, undermining the rules of trusts in finance, causing the worst regression of financial civilization since the end of WWII. 

In response to these deteriorating phenomena, the US, with the world's strongest comprehensive national strength, and NATO, led by the US, have not reflected on these issues, but have put security at the top of their international agenda. NATO is about to carry out its sixth eastward expansion, absorbing Sweden and Finland as new members. It has also invited Japan and South Korea to participate in the upcoming summit, showing a new trend of the Asianization of NATO. In the just-concluded summit with ASEAN members, the US was still emphasizing security issues.

The US has been stressing its self-proclaimed leadership of the international community. If the US is still leading the world, we need to ask the US government and the White House: With the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, and now the Ukrainian conflict, shouldn't the US leadership take the greatest responsibility?

Unfortunately, Western media and think tanks, which monopolize the discourse power of international public opinion, have failed to pay enough attention to such a serious situation of human development. However, they only focus on how to sanction Russia and how to support Ukraine, pushing the situation to a worse scenario. This is shortsighted.

Now, what is needed most is sitting together sincerely and discuss how to deal with these crises, just as how the world discussed the post-WWII world in 1945 and the international financial crisis in 2008.

The US should play its role of a great power. As the most powerful country in the world, the US should have a public morality toward mankind. The so-called democratic summits and Global COVID-19 Summit, organized by the US, carry ideological and geopolitical considerations, and it is thus impossible to gain real support from the world. Without the support of China, Russia and the vast number of emerging and developing countries, the US will be isolated from the world, and it is even less possible to regain its past glory.

Only around 30 countries support the US in sanctioning Russia. This kind of sanctions cannot be sustained. It will not solve the crisis, but will hurt the sanctioning party itself, not to mention helping the world.

The world needs to sit together and negotiate. We need to revive the good international governance traditions of the past. For example, countries should reaffirm their commitment to the international security order based on the UN Charter. The G20 as the macroeconomic and financial policy coordination mechanism should continue to be followed, and the WTO, as the negotiation platform for disputes and rules, should continue to be respected. But now, it seems that the US has become the biggest revolutionist in the international system.

In short, calm, rationality and negotiation, rather than restlessness, madness and war, are the first ways to prevent the current situation from getting worse.

The author is professor and executive dean of Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China. [email protected]