A rules-based international order is typically used to refer to the system of political, legal, and economic rules which have arguably governed international relations since the Second World War. It is a long-established concept in foreign affairs doctrine but in recent times, this had proven strenuous to the system and a new update is required for global stability and security.
The Cold War was to end on 3rd December 1989 where the capitalist Western Bloc led by President George H.W. Bush and the communist Eastern Bloc led by President Gorbachev made the announcement at the Malta summit. Germany reunified a year later and in 1991 Soviet Union broke into 15 independent states. Shortly before the ending of the Cold War, the Tiananmen Square protests occurred in June 1989 and that sparked many reforms. From December 2010 to December 2012, North Africa and Middle East countries experienced major upheavals that seek for democracy, economic freedom, employment and free election.
Unsurprisingly, after COVID-19, we are doing better globally if one looks at individual country efforts such as the UK and China in addressing world problems, including climate action, the economic wealth of nations, scams, and human rights.
The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken defined the framework of a rules-based international order as a “system of laws, agreements, principles and institutions that the world came together to build after two world wars to manage relations between states, to prevent conflict, and to uphold the rights of all people.”
John Ikenberry, professor of politics and international affairs at Princeton University posited that “[…] open rule-based order [is a] set of commitments by states to operate according to principles, rules and institutions that provide governance that is not simply dictated by who is most powerful. So, it’s a set of environmental conditions for doing business—contracts, multilateral institutions—and it comes in many layers… built around self-determined states that respect each other.” will no longer hold water
In response to the world’s changing dynamics, in September 2024 the UN General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/79/1, called a ‘Pact for the Future’. It recognised the threat that with the growing risks on non-compliance, what was set up as the United Nations, the WHO, UNHCR, UN Securities Council, World Bank, NATO and all else will be international order will topple. The US sees ghosts in its allies and those at its borders like Canada and Mexico. It amplifies on the “enemies” – BRICS and commits to sanctions and tariffs to continue to dominate the global economy. Internally, it even sought after fellow Americans and turned against the clock where Woke is concerned, putting people at risk for not declaring as a male or a female.
Issues like economic migration for low-income earners, asylum, attacks on religious freedom, drug problems, gun violence, racism and economic reforms are areas that the US Government can address but not by blaming the Eastern bloc. It would seem like the US may not participate in the designed ‘Pact for the Future’ which included pledged actions in:
• Peace and security;
• Sustainable development, climate and financing for development;
• Digital cooperation;
• Youth and future generations; and
• Human rights and gender.
This 60th Presidential on Monday, January 20, 2025, will see tremendous pressure on non-US countries but this is a golden opportunity to foster new business cooperations. In a Lose-Lose situation, it will mark the beginning of the J-curve phenomenon where a whole new generation of billionaires shall take over after the year 2030.
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