History is witness to a changing world order. Initially, the ancient empires, like Egypt and Rome, were the two main powers in the world. They used to dictate the global governance, but their sphere of influence was limited, and they had limited privileges over other countries in terms of political and cultural domains. Similarly, the world faced 30 years of war fought among the Europeans, which ended in the Westphalia nation-states system. The two world wars are termed as the watershed moment in history. They led to the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the emergence of the US and USSR as new power centres in the world.
The world became bipolar after the end of World War II. Capitalist and communist blocs wreaked havoc across the world during the Cold War period. The Cold War ended in 1991 after the collapse of USSR and dismembered into 15 new states.
With the dawn of the 20th century, the world shifted towards globalisation, which led to an increased interdependency among states and emergence of new economic and political centres in the world. Some political analysts are of the view that the current world is multipolar, and the traditional pillars of power have changed where power was measured in terms of military capability. In contrast, now, power is gauged in terms of soft power capabilities in which countries make alliances and engage other countries diplomatically at different bilateral and multilateral forums.
To avoid human loss, which is being undertaken in the pretext of power politics at the global arena, the most powerful countries like Russia, China, and the US must find some common grounds and venues to work together for the sustainable world order.
Geo-strategic Re-alignment: Challenges and Opportunities for Pakistan
In 1991, after the collapse of the USSR, the US became an invincible superpower in the world, dictating global affairs as a policeman. With the passage of time, Russia re-emerged under the vibrant leadership of Putin and challenged American hegemony in Yemen, Syria, Georgia, and Ukraine. Similarly, China emerged as an economic superpower under the visionary leadership of Xi Jinping. Resultantly, the US perceived threats to its hegemony and started to change its geo-strategic priorities in the world.
In the wake of new strategic priorities, the US withdrew its troops from Afghanistan and shifted its policy towards the containment of China via QUAD and B3W in Indo-Pacific and I2U2 in the Middle East. Following the footsteps of US, China started diplomatic engagement with Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Afghanistan to sustain its soft power via Belt and Route Initiative (BRI).
In the wake of changing global strategic priorities, Pakistan has faced both opportunities and challenges. Pakistan and the US have multi-pronged relations. Economically, America is the largest export-led trade partner of Pakistan. After the Middle East, the second-largest amount of remittances comes from the US.
Pakistan and the US have a long history of cultural ties. Thousands of students go to the US for higher education, and both countries have multiple common concerns: terrorism in Afghanistan, climate change, and global warming.
Pakistan can play a vital role in bringing Iran to the negotiation table to broker a nuclear deal for world peace. So, both countries can collaborate in multiple ways.
Undoubtedly, Pakistan and China are time-tested friends. China stood by Pakistan through thick and thin in the past, for instance, China always supported the stance of Pakistan over Kashmir. China has almost always helped Pakistan. So, Pakistan should establish its policies to maintain a balance between the two rival states.
In a nutshell, the world has gone through numerous ups and downs, as per Ibn-e-Khaldoon’s cyclic theory. From the dawn of civilisation to the post-cold war era, the world has witnessed the rise and fall of several power poles. The current geo-strategic realignment is the continuation of the history where the power centres changed intermittently. To avoid human loss, which is being undertaken in the pretext of power politics at the global arena, the most powerful countries like Russia, China, and the US must find some common grounds and venues to work together for the sustainable world order.