Former French ambassador tells US Ukraine war marks ‘end of an era’

(MENAFN) Gerard Araud, former French Ambassador to the US, has argued that the Ukraine conflict highlights a fundamental shift in global power dynamics and signals the end of Western dominance. In an article for Le Point on Sunday, Araud claimed that the post-WWII international order is collapsing, with the West no longer holding the leading position in global affairs.

Araud pointed out that the conflict in Ukraine underscores Western leaders' inability to accept this shift, revealing their "incomprehension and rejection" of the emerging world order. He suggested that a significant factor in this change is the stance of the US under President Donald Trump, who has distanced Washington from its role as the world’s “policeman,” focusing more on domestic priorities while urging European NATO members to take on more responsibility for their own defense.

Although Araud lamented the decline of Western power, he acknowledged that global politics has always been shaped by power dynamics, where the strong impose their will on the weak. Moscow has similarly argued that Western hegemony is over and that a multipolar world is rising, with growing influence from BRICS and the Global South.

In May, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described the ongoing shifts in global politics as a "tectonic shift" towards Eurasia, Africa, and Latin America. He dismissed Western fears that multipolarity would lead to "chaos and anarchy," arguing that unipolar dominance, characterized by sanctions and interventions, has led to major global crises in recent decades. Russia continues to view the Ukraine conflict as a proxy war orchestrated by the West, with any future resolution needing to address Moscow's security concerns, including NATO’s expansion.

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