Reference News Network, January 15 report: The U.S. "New York Times" website published an article titled "U.S. Hegemony Has Ended, a New Pattern Is Emerging" by Saron Hidol, head of the Global South Program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft on January 12. Excerpts are as follows:

Before the Trump administration turned its attention to Venezuela, its main disruption to the global order was a series of tariff policies. However, when these tariffs were fully implemented around the world, although shocking, they were also expected. After all, President Trump and his advisors had long been promoting tariffs as the "magic bullet" for solving America's economic problems.

Global reactions to other "regressive" actions by the United States have also been generally mild: the U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization, UNESCO, and the Paris Climate Agreement, cancellation of U.S. foreign aid programs, and mandatory drastic cuts to the UN budget. Recently, the U.S. expanded entry bans (mainly targeting African countries), but this did not provoke strong opposition in most parts of the African continent. Similarly, the response to the U.S. kidnapping of Venezuelan President Maduro was cautious.

However, this apparent compromise hides deeper changes. Although the U.S. remains very powerful and can still force other countries to submit to its will, its unipolar hegemony has already passed. The actions of the Trump administration are seen as an extreme unilateralist "reaction." In fact, amid the confusion, a new model of international interaction has begun to emerge. As the U.S. global dominance declines, a new world is taking shape.

The U.S. tariff blitz directly strikes at the foundation of globalization, but other countries and regions continue to push forward or even deepen trade integration. In 2025, Canada, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, and other different countries signed new bilateral trade agreements. Regional groups are also very active. China and ASEAN deepened their long-standing free trade agreement, incorporating digital and green areas into it. The EU launched integration negotiations with a major trans-Pacific group and agreed to sign a landmark trade agreement with the Southern Common Market. Today, globalization may have become a derogatory term in the U.S., but for most countries in the world, it remains vibrant.

By violating the win-win trade philosophy, the U.S. has imposed unequal agreements in key mineral resources, limiting the autonomy of some resource-rich countries. But U.S. coercion is not the whole story. Inspired by the successful development of lithium, nickel, and other rich mineral reserves in Chile and Indonesia, Vietnam and Zimbabwe are also increasing their efforts to develop their own minerals. Countries in the Sahel region have even nationalized mining assets owned by Western companies.

U.S. hostility toward the energy transition has mostly been ignored. China is now an undisputed leader in renewable energy, and countries in the Global South are following its footsteps to adopt green technologies. Countries such as Nepal, Singapore, Thailand, Uruguay, and Vietnam have far surpassed the U.S. in electric vehicle sales. Meanwhile, solar installations in Africa and South Asia are rapidly increasing.

At the same time, the BRICS group, mainly composed of developing countries, continues to uphold the concept of multilateralism. Last year, Indonesia joined the group, and countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, and Nigeria became "partner countries," which enhanced the credibility and influence of the BRICS group. It provides a platform for countries to cooperate and collaborate outside the U.S.-dominated sphere.

The most notable change has occurred in Asia. Many Asian countries maintain a balance between China and the U.S., continuing to welcome China's participation in mediating regional conflicts.

The current pattern is still in the process of formation, but it is neither a revival of the old order nor the construction of a new order. Instead, this emerging order is a mixture of various elements. It may seem chaotic, but it can "detoxify" and enhance resilience. A world like this will be more characterized by self-organization, with its driving force being pragmatism rather than ideology.

In such a future, the G20 and BRICS may become coordinating bodies for global crisis management, ideally complementing a reformed United Nations.

Certainly, the restructuring of a world order without U.S. dominance will not go smoothly. There will be many twists and turns along the way, including conflicts and instability. But the emergence of a new order has never been orderly. Why should this one be any different? (Translated by Guo Jun)

Original: toutiao.com/article/7595539026791121446/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.