Written by Jacob Callus
The evolution of history brings along with it several changes, some of which come as a surprise, others which we can consider to be quite predictable. This can definitely be said to be the case with the ever-changing state of affairs the international community currently finds itself in, as its future has never seemed more uncertain than it does right now.
It’s almost become cliché to list Donald Trump, Brexit, and the rising tide of nationalism across Europe as evidence pointing towards a radical shift in global politics since all of these events came as quite a shock to the international community when they occurred. However, that in of itself can be considered to be the main problem here, due to their root causes not being unexpected at all, and they’ve actually been sitting right in front of our eyes for years on end.
The aptest phrase which can probably best explain this is ‘that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction’. In this regard, the events which I previously listed are the end result of decades’ worth of rampant globalisation, an unfettered period of neoliberal policies being introduced, and an uninterrupted internationalist outlook on world affairs. This is not to say that most of these initiatives being undertaken are bad in of themselves, but that their repercussions have been ignored for far too long, and only their benefits have received maximum attention. Both Donald Trump and Brexit are the products of such issues being unaddressed, as this has too many voters feeling a profound sense of anger and frustration. Neglecting problems can indeed be bad, but abandoning those which they affect the most is even worse.
This in turn has impacted the international community with several countries being more inclined to look after their own interests, rather than cooperating with their partners in order to fulfil common goals. The resurgence of nationalism which I mentioned earlier signifies this phenomenon, as internationalism superseding nationalism caused nationalist sentiments to be suppressed in such a way where they eventually resurfaced in an immensely strong way, as many felt a deep sense of belonging to their country guiding them. The resurgence of nationalism has not only occurred as a reaction to the spread of globalisation and international organisations, but can be seen in how COVID-19 saw the concept of the nation-state taking centre stage, and how there was initially little to no incentive for international cooperation to dominate the conversation on how to tackle the ongoing pandemic.
Amidst all this chaos and confusion, the international community standing at a crossroads, it must decide collectively what’s the best course of action take in order to preserve the spirit of international cooperation. With tensions growing between China and the United States to see who will be the world’s sole superpower, the importance of this cannot be understated, as only through a process of soul-searching and reform, can the balance of power be preserved, and common goals be achieved by means of commonly derived solutions.