Beyond Global Order: China, the US, and the Future of World Politics

The End of World Order

The notion of a single, universal world order is no longer tenable. Every empire, including the American one, has eventually discovered the same inconvenient truth: it is mortal. The Chinese, to their credit, have long understood this reality and have been preparing for a world without a dominant power.

The Problem with Washington's Strategy

The prevailing strategy in Washington is to "slow down" Chinese innovation, a phrase that is as futile as it is contradictory. The Qing dynasty tried a similar approach against European technology, and it did not end well for them. The US response to the Chinese challenge could take two forms: racing ahead of China in critical industries or trying to slow it down. The former is uncertain, while the latter is likely to fail.

The Need for a New Framework

What is needed instead is an order of a different kind altogether. This would not be a new blueprint for a substantive political order but a framework that governs how political orders themselves rise and fall. Think of it as a system of equations that sets the conditions under which the existing rules and values can change.

Two Principles of Ordering

Two principles of ordering can be suggested. First, every country should be free to grow new technologies. Britain led the first Industrial Revolution, and the US led the second. To insist that China must now develop within boundaries drawn in Washington is to confuse the privileges of incumbency with the laws of nature. Technological revolutions reshape the global hierarchy, and the country that diffuses the new technology fastest tends to move to the center.

Second, every country should be free to choose. China is now the largest trading partner of more than 120 nations, and most of them do not want a bloc; they want optionality. Singapore, Switzerland, and much of Africa would rather weigh competing offers from Washington and Beijing than be conscripted into either.

The Role of a New United Nations

A new United Nations would be the natural vehicle for these principles. It would enshrine the two principles above and ensure that power arrangements can succeed one another peacefully. The alternative is the old method of settling these questions, which has led to conflict and instability.

Conclusion

The age of world order is finished, and a new framework for global politics is needed. The US and China are locked in a struggle for technological supremacy, but what comes next is uncertain. A new United Nations, based on the principles of technological development and geopolitical alignment, could provide a way forward. It would ensure that power arrangements can succeed one another peacefully and that technological progress is not hindered by coercion or force.

Source referenced: FOREIGNPOLICY

This brief was synthesized by our Editorial Engine and reviewed by The Ground Narrative team.