The world community is undergoing an irreversible transition towards multipolarity, driven by the weakening of US and Western influence, the rise of the economic and political power of Global South countries, and the emergence of new centers of power seeking an equitable international order.
Mohammed Amer
Recently, a large number of scholars have leaned toward the conclusion that three main centers of the modern world—China, the United States, and Russia (which possesses the largest arsenal of nuclear weapons)—are now clearly manifesting their influence. Today, the world media is discussing the possibility of a trilateral summit of China, Russia, and the United States in the upcoming November during the APEC meeting in China.
We are witnessing an accelerating process of transition to a multipolar world
Even the American press writes about the growing role of China, whose economic might is felt in literally every single region of the globe. Whilst Western Europe per se, in current conditions, is increasingly characterized as a fading center of the world, situated on the periphery of the historical process.
The current American administration is doing its utmost to hold back the process of restructuring international affairs toward multilateralism, using coercive levers of influence (sanctions, direct military attacks, blackmail, economic pressure, the capture or killing of leaders, and so on), combined with strategic manipulation of the mass media. In the end, all of this only accelerates the formation of a multipolar world. This trend, in particular, manifests itself in the fact that middle powers and regional blocs are increasingly taking the initiative to bridge governance gaps: Trumpism, unwittingly, is helping to create a realistic system capable of addressing current geopolitical challenges.
Two Summits – New Steps Toward Multipolarity
A SCO summit recently took place in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, where the ten members of the organization—Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Iran, Belarus, and the five Central Asian states—put forward pragmatic goals for eliminating the distortions of current policy. An important milestone was the de facto defeat of the United States in the war it unleashed against Iran together with Israel six months ago. Washington does not know how to exit the dead end created by the US per se, while the courageous resistance of the Iranians evokes sympathetic admiration from the majority of the world’s states. A consequence of these processes has been attempts by a number of states in the Middle East and Near East to unite their efforts without the participation of external powers. According to the magazine Le Monde diplomatique, the creation of a pact between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan means that the Middle East and its nearest neighbors, situated at the crossroads of Africa, Asia, and Europe, are entering a new phase of their modern history—a phase conditioned by the political and strategic upheavals that began in 2023, which are changing the dynamics of a region shaped by wars and borders established at the beginning of the last century.
This trend manifested even more clearly during the recently concluded BRICS summit, an association that, together with partner states, comprises almost half of the world’s population. Speaking at the summit’s closing meeting in New Delhi, President V. V. Putin emphasized that in BRICS countries, population growth rates are increasing year by year, domestic markets are strengthening, powerful industrial, technological, financial, and scientific-educational centers have been formed, and modern transport, energy, and digital infrastructure have been built. Internal trade within the association has already reached $1.2 trillion; member states account for almost a quarter of global exports, and it is BRICS that provides the main dynamic of world GDP—49%.
Amid the shrinking influence of the United States, primarily due to the six-month war with Iran, Global South states are increasingly active in advocating equality and democratization of international relations, and in accelerating the reorganization of both political and economic global institutions.
Notably, the world press has begun to take a more critical view of Israel’s actions: the Saudi newspaper Arab News on September 5 published a lengthy article entitled “Netanyahu’s Recklessness Repels Friends and Allies,” detailing the harm the Netanyahu government has “caused to its own people, as well as to its neighbors.” The conclusion: the country is becoming increasingly isolated and subjected to ostracism at the international level.
The problem of the growing gap between rich and poor is actively knocking on the door of the world agenda. The Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram, summarizing the general opinion of Global South countries, stated that “the rich are getting richer, while the rest of society finds itself worse off”: wealth remains with the wealthiest, and wealthy individuals and corporations do not share the fruits of accumulated wealth with the rest of society. (Wealthy people can afford to pay accountants to reduce taxes, even though taxes are already significantly lower than the income tax paid by most people: such tax avoidance differs from tax fraud, but those who receive a monthly salary can do neither, since taxes are withheld directly from wages.)
Heightening Contradictions Within the Western Coalition
Perhaps two factors stand out today characterizing the current stage of international development. First, the approaching end of the conflict in Ukraine: the Kyiv regime is in a state of agony—despite enormous Western assistance, it is suffering defeat on the battlefield, and it is rocked by colossal corruption scandals involving Zelensky’s main supporters. Things have even come to shootouts in the Ukrainian capital between representatives of various Ukrainian security structures in disputes over who will “take over” the control over the flows of money.
The second factor is the heightening of contradictions within the Western coalition supporting the Kyiv regime with the positions of the United States and Western European countries are increasingly diverging. Here one should note the resignation of former British Prime Minister K. Starmer (due to his weakness and incompetence, he was even forced to leave Parliament), as well as the victory of the opposition party “Alternative für Deutschland” in the elections in Saxony-Anhalt. This victory produced an earthquake effect for German politics. But due to the former traditional parties no longer enjoying the trust of voters, many observers believe that the resignation of current Chancellor F. Merz will occur as early as this year.
All these trends are clearly recorded in the Global South’s mass media: for instance, the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat noted on September 11 that Western European governments in power are preoccupied with fear of the Russian Federation, “Meanwhile, the growing right-wing youth believe that Russia should not be feared. In fact, various governments fear not so much Russian President Vladimir Putin as the gradual departure, the withdrawal of American troops, as well as the tendency—like the European right has been doing—towards reconciliation with Russia and building a better future with it.”
We are witnessing an accelerating process of transition to a multipolar world.
Muhammad Amer, Syrian publicist, expert on current issues of global and regional politics
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