Recently, we have been watching multiple countries are rising with their own policies and purposes in the international arena defying the unipolar order. China is one of the countries those challenge the US hegemony in the recent time. Russia is another strong counterpart of global US hegemony. Although there are several wicked deeds US did during the recent past, and continuously doing so, but it is the self-proclaimed protagonist of the liberal world order. Recently, the US government has taken some measures which in many cases are threatening the liberal order. As a result, the liberal order is facing its existential threat from both inside and outside.
A new world order always has been established through a war. The victorious party imposes its own order in the controlling area. In the past, the control was limited within a geographical location, but now a state has the ability to establish direct or indirect, more or less control over the world. Hitler wanted to establish a new world order based on German superiority by demolishing the British, French and other colonial powers. Although he contributed to destroy the colonial world order worldwide by a whack in the central of the order, but could not establish his own authority because of the defeat of Germany in WWII.
A new world order was established after the WWII, and again in 1990s a unipolar world order had evolved. Throughout the history, we see that the rise of a new power, in most of the cases, instigated a war. And in most of the cases, the rising powers are aggressive in their policies and movement as Germany was in the past, and China is in the present. In the history of democracy, it is witnessed that, no war occurred between two democratic countries. It means democratic countries are less war prone while one of the tenets of a democratic order is liberalism.
Current liberal world order is being declined as one of its bulwarks; the USA is shifting its policy into mercantilism under the leadership of Donald Trump and there is no other country to shoulder the duty. The rise of far right political parties in Europe is also one of the reasons of the waning liberal order. Liberal order makes the countries of the world interdependent through the spread of trade and cooperation in different sectors. Countries are in a persistent struggle to maximise its interest through cooperation. If a war is occurred, the cooperation is stopped and the countries of the war are affected more or less. This type of interdependency makes the countries of the world abstain from a war.
When this order is absent, countries are not dependent. When two countries do not have a common interest they want to achieve their interest through war. The world seems to be in a junction of two eras in many different perspectives. Many leaders of the liberal world do no longer belief in liberal order. Transformation in any order usually leads to turmoil.
It seems that the liberal order is going to decline with the confrontation between rising and declining powers.
One of the omens of future conflict in the global arena is the rise of nondemocratic powerful leaders. Russia has not been seen a western democracy ever; China follow its own style of Socialism, those two countries are against the unipolar world order.
The USA has also a democratically elected despot as Trump's efforts to Putinise America -- attacking the media, the judiciary, and lawmaker who doesn't vote as instructed; loading his cabinet with sycophants leads the country to a non democratic path. The other omen of the conflict is that Russia and the United States have resumed a level of tension not seen since almost 30 years ago.
US's constant loss of control over world's occurrences, shifting of policy, lack of diplomatic far-sight, constant war and foreign debt all together make a power vacuum in the global arena to another powerful country where China is striving for power.
All powerful countries of the contemporary world are posing a blow to the status quo based on liberal order. Although China does utilise the opportunities of liberalism, it itself is not a liberal country, rather a coercive authority has been prevailed in the state power recently. If the US is extirpated by China or other possible countries, the ongoing liberal order will end overnight.
Recent rivalry insinuates a conflict between these two countries. The tariff imposed on Chinese product has perhaps ignited trade warfare what will take the countries in the age of mercantilism. The Freedom of Navigation Operation, operated by US, comes just one day after President Trump unveiled a package of 60 billion USD in tariffs aimed at Beijing. US destroyer operated within 12 nautical miles of an artificial island built by China in the South China Sea.
The naval operation infuriated Beijing is the latest attempt to counter China what US sees as China's effort to limit freedom of navigation in the flashpoint waters. The officials said the guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin travelled close to Mischief Reef in the Spartly Islands and carried out operations. The US military said its activities are carried out under international law and American forces operate in the region in a daily bases.
China's Defence Ministry said two Chinese naval ships had been sent to identify the US ship and warn it to leave. It described the actions of the American ship as seriously harming China's sovereignty and security, which threatens regional peace and stability. China also claimed that it is dedicated to protect freedom of navigation and over flight in the South China Sea, but it opposes illegal and provocative moves in the name of freedom of navigation exemplifying the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Eurasian Economic Union (EEAU).
The fading liberal world order is neither liberal nor worldwide any more. Now it is time to see how the order is being evaporated through clash of national interests.
The writer is working with The Daily Observer
