A New Architecture Of Global Power

Americans and others have been speaking of a New World Order for several decades. Even though the collapse of the Soviet Union seemed to offer a shift from a bipolar to a unipolar world, the reality was less that than the start of another round of global competition, this time between China and the U.S. China started internationalization of its geopolitical influence with the founding of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and of its geo-economic influence with the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and the Belt and Road Initiative.

Lately, it has aggressively expanded the range and scope of alliances and partnerships it has gathered under the tutelage of President Xi Jinping. The U.S., only belatedly recognizing the effectiveness of China’s endeavors, has undertaken a range of activities intended to rein in China’s influence and to extend America’s hold on global power. The economically integrated status of the two countries, matched with the paranoia embedded in the perspective of each on the other, has generated confusion among multinational corporate leaders. Despite rhetoric and hopeful expectations, early evidence suggests that the result of U.S.-China competition will not lead to significant cooperation to solve transnational issues (i.e., climate change)
but will lead to a new global power arrangement.