The end of the world as we know it': Is the rules-based order finished?

"The system's power comes not from its truth, but from everyone's willingness to perform as if it were true, and its fragility comes from the same source, he told world leaders. When even one person stops performing the illusion begins to crack. We participated in the rituals, and we largely avoided calling out the gaps between rhetoric and reality, Carney added. This bargain no longer works. Let me be direct. We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition."

"In the last few weeks, the United States, whose military and financial heft underpinned much of that order, has invaded Venezuela, has threatened to invade the European territory of Greenland, and has promised to levy tariffs on any of its Western allies that might oppose it. list of 4 itemsend of list Moreover, in place of the United Nations, the organisation intended to embody the modern world order, US President Donald Trump is pushing what he has hinted may be its successor, the Board of Peace."

"Let me be direct. We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition. In Trump's speech in Davos the following day, the US president made clear that times had changed. He nodded to Venezuela, where his forces conducted a raid to abduct the country's President Nicolas Maduro earlier this month. He criticised Europe, calling the countries there weak."

The post-World War II rules-based order has essentially collapsed and is being replaced by an era of great-power rivalry. The United States has invaded Venezuela, threatened to invade Greenland, and promised tariffs on Western allies that might oppose it. The United States is promoting an alternative to the United Nations called the Board of Peace. The system depended on collective willingness to perform shared rules; when actors stop performing the illusion begins to crack. The bargain of rituals and rhetoric without accountability no longer functions, producing a rupture rather than a smooth transition. Recent rhetoric and actions underscore these changed times.

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