Notice how the term ‘International Community” (IC) is being bandied about in recent years? I mean how it is most likely being abused by everyone? Every side in a conflict seeks to claim that the IC supports it, even if it is not true. Both sides can’t be correct on this one, or maybe they can? Which means in most (but not all) cases it is ‘in the eye of the beholder’. Here are two examples:
“Opposition Syrian National Coalition chief Ahmed Jarba repeated calls on the international community to supply rebels with “sophisticated weapons” as the two-day summit opened….”
“Secretary of State John Kerry noted that the international community has condemned Russian annexation of Crimea….”
- This last statement is technically not true, although CNN and other media repeat it a few times every day. As do a bunch of senators and European politicians. There is no Security Council resolution yet. The European Union is really only a small but rich part of the world community (IC), as is the USA. Even Canada, eh?
- This claim, this deliberately vague definition of “International Community” (or IC) probably makes the Chinese (all 1.6 billion of them) and the Russians (all 200+ million of them), maybe also the Indians (all 1.2+ billion of them) look around in wonder: “Who is that? And what are we? Chopped liver?”
- Clearly it is not a reference to the UN:
When Syrian rebels and their Arab allies refer to IC, they mean the West (not Russia, nor China, nor India, nor many others). But maybe these ‘others’ don’t count. - Normally IC has been extensively mostly used to mean only: Europe, North America, Japan? (Did I leave out Taiwan and Canada?): 700 million people, rises to 1.5 billion with some other countries added?
- Excluding Not IC (NIC): China, Russia, India, ROW? that would be bout 3-4 billion humans who don’t count, ThankYouVeryMuch.
- Some countries are too absorbed in their own problems to count (wars, civil strife, etc), to be IC or NIC. Apparently by sheer number NIC has more people than IC. Ah, but IC has larger economic muscle than NIC and better media.
- So, which one to use? IC or NIC? That is the question. It depends on your point of view, which side you are on, if any.
