Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the global order is endangered by increasing geopolitical chaos.
The US and Europe took a tough stance towards Russia by severing energy supplies, adopting unprecedented sanctions, and providing weapons deliveries and intelligence support to Kyiv’s government.
No western decision-maker considered, or more likely ignored the fact, that by sanctioning Russia, the world’s primary commodities producer, dire consequences for their economies were to be expected.
The 7 October 2023 attack by Hamas, followed by Israel's genocide in Gaza, as well as the conflict’s spin-off in Lebanon, further heightened an already volatile situation.
Finally, the arrival of the second Trump administration in 2025, with its hard position on trade, unprecedented tensions with its European allies on Ukraine and Greenland, and, lately, its joint attack with Israel against Iran, has probably put the last nail in the coffin of the rules-based world order.
Middle East Eye ISSN 2634-2456