A significant shift in the international landscape has taken place, marked by a fundamental change in the US approach to global affairs. The Trump administration’s departure from a unipolar world and its adoption of a multipolar approach has far-reaching implications.
The US, once a champion of liberal internationalism, is now embracing a more pragmatic and competitive approach, recognizing the sovereignty of nations and the importance of national interests. This shift is not a fleeting moment, but a structural change that will have a lasting impact on the world order.
The “West” as we knew it is no more, with the US and Europe no longer sharing a common ideological ground. The liberal international order is giving way to a more competitive and multipolar world, where nations prioritize their own interests and pursue their own paths.
The “World Majority” a term initially used to describe states opposing sanctions against Russia and arms supplies to Ukraine, now represents a broader political realignment. This informal coalition of non-Western states, including the BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and other regional groupings, is gaining strength and challenging the dominance of Western institutions.
The US, China and Russia are emerging as the key players in a new world order, with India likely to join them. Their relationships are based on transactionalism, not sentiment and each is focused on its own national interests.
Russia, in particular, has gained in self-confidence and is now a major player on the world stage, with its military strength, economic resilience and national unity. The country’s position in the new world order is no longer in question and it is no longer seen as a junior partner or regional power, but as an equal to the US, China and India.
Russia’s task now is to secure its place in this new world, not by lamenting the decline of the old order, but by building a strong and pragmatic foreign policy that prioritizes national interests and technological sovereignty.