Global development paradigm reaches its natural conclusion
(MENAFN) By 2025, the global development paradigm that began four decades ago has reached its natural conclusion, according to Fyodor Lukyanov. Reflecting on key historical events, he suggests that the world order established in the late 20th century is now unraveling. A significant moment marking this shift was the 1985 Soviet Communist Party plenum, which saw Mikhail Gorbachev rise to power, laying the groundwork for perestroika and "new thinking." Today, the global landscape that Russia once hoped to integrate into is in turmoil, with the Western-led system facing deep fractures.
Lukyanov points to Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022 as a break from the Gorbachev-era policies that aimed for rapprochement with the West. After over three decades, this integration effort failed, resulting in a dramatic turn in geopolitics, accelerated by current developments. The very world Russia wanted to join is now destabilized, with figures like US President-elect Donald Trump and Tesla’s Elon Musk shaking the foundations of Western institutions, much like perestroika did in Eastern Europe during the 1980s.
Western Europe, once benefiting from Gorbachev's vision of cooperation, is now poised to be the biggest loser in this shifting global order. Issues once considered resolved, like the sanctity of borders, are being questioned. The US has moved away from supporting a 'rules-based' global order to adopting a doctrine of dominance, with leaders like Trump favoring strength over consensus. This shift, particularly in America’s rejection of the international rules it once upheld, has thrown the global system into chaos.
As Western Europe relies on the increasingly unpredictable US, it faces growing instability. The EU's struggle with Musk’s influence reflects a broader failure to adapt to a world that no longer operates on clear rules or shared values. While perestroika once aimed to harmonize the global order through institutions, today's world sees power wielded without restraint, leaving institutions in the background. The future is uncertain, and as in the era of perestroika, there are no easy answers ahead.
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