The Rise and Flaws of the Contemporary Global Order

The contemporary global currently being challenged by Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine and China’s aggressive foreign policies under Xi Jing-ping is routinely said to have been created in the wake of the Second World War by the United States and its closest allies. Indeed, organizations such as the UN, IMF, World Bank, and NATO have had a remarkable continuity in world affairs, having lasted more than 75 years. Nor does any other nation come close to the United States in its importance for creating the institutions of the global order. However, a closer look at the longer history of the global order reveals a different story. The global order and its key institutions have gone through enormous changes over the decades, with its key institutions radically changing their mission and structure. The United States has often had to share its leadership of the global order with other nations. In some cases, the global order has succeeded in spite rather than because of the United States. This paper will look at contradictions embodied by the global order from its birth, particularly between the universal pretentions of the UN, IMF, World Bank, and GATT and the regional basis of NATO and Pacific alliances upon which U.S. security has rested. Second, it will examine the extent to which the alleged Pax Americana since 1945 has actually depended upon states in South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia helping to keep the peace, often with little support from the U.S. Finally, given that the global order has undergone immense changes over its seventy five year history, what lessons for the future can the history of the global order offer?