WHAT IS WORLD ORDER?
The 21st century is witnessing a very critical juncture in the transition of the current world order. To limit the scope and have a clearer understanding of the arguments presented in the essay, it is imperative to have a clear understanding of the concept: ‘World Order,’ although it is important to mention that there is no simple definition of the terms. The world order generally refers to the structure, functioning, and organization of the international political system, at a particular time, that affects the relations and security of nation-states. While traditionally, the key actors and stakeholders of the international order were nation-states, in recent times we have witnessed the rise of non-state actors that are …show more content…
International institutions such as World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), Bretton Woods Accord, and United Nations were created in 20th century. While they seem global, Bremmer (2013) argues that they are all American institutions that have American priorities, American values, and American allies; thus establishing a lasting American dominance. This essay notes a critical difference between American power and American dominance. Since the end of the cold war and more significantly post- 9/11, Washington has believed that the greatest method to protect the United States is to dominate the world and reconstruct it in their image (Mearsheimer, 2015). They have utilized military power and other forms of hard diplomacy to remove hostile governments and promote democracy. As Mearsheimer (2015) noted, this strategy has unfortunately led to a string of disasters, for instance the failure of US’s delivery in Iraq and Afghanistan; and is the core reason for the growing instability around the world and the rise of the Islamic State. While scholars such as Robert Kaplan (2014) have argued the case for an American imperialist world order, Kaplan (2014) held merit in the criticism that imperialism is very expensive and hard to sustain. Moreover post the 2008 recession, America has been less keen to provide the global leadership due to its debt crisis., amongst other reasons. Nye (2015) argued that although military force is a significant part of America’s power, it would however not be sufficient. Thus, this essay recommends that America should limit its involvement internationally to economic inducements and robust diplomacy to prevent atrocities around the world and only initiate military intimidations when its national interest is threatened (Kaplan, 2014). It is also imperative to note that the information revolution and globalization has
The 21st century is witnessing a very critical juncture in the transition of the current world order. To limit the scope and have a clearer understanding of the arguments presented in the essay, it is imperative to have a clear understanding of the concept: ‘World Order,’ although it is important to mention that there is no simple definition of the terms. The world order generally refers to the structure, functioning, and organization of the international political system, at a particular time, that affects the relations and security of nation-states. While traditionally, the key actors and stakeholders of the international order were nation-states, in recent times we have witnessed the rise of non-state actors that are …show more content…
International institutions such as World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), Bretton Woods Accord, and United Nations were created in 20th century. While they seem global, Bremmer (2013) argues that they are all American institutions that have American priorities, American values, and American allies; thus establishing a lasting American dominance. This essay notes a critical difference between American power and American dominance. Since the end of the cold war and more significantly post- 9/11, Washington has believed that the greatest method to protect the United States is to dominate the world and reconstruct it in their image (Mearsheimer, 2015). They have utilized military power and other forms of hard diplomacy to remove hostile governments and promote democracy. As Mearsheimer (2015) noted, this strategy has unfortunately led to a string of disasters, for instance the failure of US’s delivery in Iraq and Afghanistan; and is the core reason for the growing instability around the world and the rise of the Islamic State. While scholars such as Robert Kaplan (2014) have argued the case for an American imperialist world order, Kaplan (2014) held merit in the criticism that imperialism is very expensive and hard to sustain. Moreover post the 2008 recession, America has been less keen to provide the global leadership due to its debt crisis., amongst other reasons. Nye (2015) argued that although military force is a significant part of America’s power, it would however not be sufficient. Thus, this essay recommends that America should limit its involvement internationally to economic inducements and robust diplomacy to prevent atrocities around the world and only initiate military intimidations when its national interest is threatened (Kaplan, 2014). It is also imperative to note that the information revolution and globalization has