Reference News Network, December 29 report: Egypt's Al-Ahram website on December 25 published an article titled "Resetting the Global Order," authored by Izzat Ibrahim. Excerpts are as follows:
The events of the past year largely followed expectations, confirming the judgment that global situations have become more turbulent. Numerous warning signals had already emerged, and developments proceeded along familiar lines, especially after a series of events undermined the foundations of the relatively stable international order over the past 30 years.
In 2025, the world entered a gradual but significant phase of transformation, which will shape the global political landscape for decades to come.
"Trump 2.0" Influences the World
At the beginning of the year, Trump was re-elected President of the United States. In the calculation system of U.S. and global politics, the first few weeks of a new U.S. government resemble several years. A series of administrative decisions began to reshape domestic U.S. policy, whose long-term impact remains difficult to predict, while sending clear signals to allies and adversaries alike.
Trump's decisions in trade and immigration have had lasting impacts and triggered chain reactions, pushing populism and a new wave of protectionism to unprecedented heights. These trends quickly crossed the Atlantic, boosting the rise of right-wing forces in Europe, which increasingly present themselves as a united front against various challenges perceived as existential threats to Western civilization.
Under this context, U.S. domestic politics can no longer be viewed as an isolated internal matter. Trump's return is not only an election result but also seen as a geopolitical event. Washington's policy moves are now interpreted as forces reshaping international relations, pressuring allies, and redefining the global political discourse. U.S. policy is no longer just one of many influencing factors, but has become a perspective through which the world perceives itself.
A comprehensive package of tariffs introduced by Washington has impacted global markets, marking the departure of the world's leading power from the principles of free trade and accelerating the disintegration of the international system based on economic interdependence. This tariff offensive spared neither allies nor adversaries, with Trump holding up the banner of "agreements" and demanding participation from all relevant parties.
The Middle East Order Hangs in the Balance
In the Middle East, generous commitments to end the Gaza conflict have not been fulfilled. Instead, as doubts grow about an initiative aimed at displacing residents of the Gaza Strip and transforming the area into a real estate project under American supervision, regional uncertainty has further intensified. At the same time, despite the ongoing humanitarian disaster in Gaza, the Trump administration continues to push for a comprehensive regional agreement aimed at expanding the Abraham Accords.
The regional order now seems to hang in the balance, constrained by Israel's war in Gaza, the weakening and collapse of Iran's regional proxy forces, and the possibility of renewed direct confrontation between Israel and Iran following the first round of escalation in the summer. This uncertainty occurs simultaneously with the broader realignment of U.S. policies, as outlined in the 2025 updated U.S. National Security Strategy, where the U.S. is deepening strategic partnerships with Gulf states.
The regime change in Syria has further complicated the situation: Washington has begun to accept a new government that does not pose a direct threat to Israel, while promoting former jihadists to undergo political "rehabilitation." The Ukraine crisis, the Middle East crisis, and the tense NATO alliance due to disagreements between Trump and European leaders continue to test the capacity of the international system.
Currently, there is neither a decisive victory nor an ultimate defeat, only a collective state of exhaustion. In October this year, the main parties involved in the Gaza crisis held a peace summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. Although this summit went beyond the scope of a simple ceasefire, it fell far short of a genuine peace agreement, especially after Trump left room for ambiguous statements, allowing Israel to exploit these statements to justify its continued military actions in Gaza.
The International Order Accelerates Its Evolution
The world today is divided into two camps: one believes that we are currently in the early stages of a new cold war led by the U.S. and China; the other predicts that, driven by the U.S. president, a series of transaction-based arrangements will divide the world into spheres of influence dominated by the U.S., China, and Russia. It is certain that the rules-based international order is continuously being eroded, with existing norms repeatedly violated, and the decline of mutual trust among major powers further undermining the rules-based international order.
New voluntary alliances are beginning to form, including the "Silicon Peace" initiative alliance, primarily aimed at containing China's dominant position in the artificial intelligence industry. New trade and defense alliances may also emerge next year, reflecting the growing tensions in the fields of global industrial and trade policies. It is expected that Washington will continue to pursue security and defense strategies to maintain its global dominance, while China continues to cultivate new partners, especially in the Global South, through its large trade surplus.
The competition in the field of artificial intelligence has become extremely intense, and this competition could define the relationship of power between major countries in the coming decades. Countries that invest the most in necessary infrastructure will gain an advantage.
Looking ahead to the new year, the world faces a deepening stalemate caused by the rise of populism and the tightening of migration policies. In an environment where there is hostility toward "outsiders" yet no alternative proposal for Western culture itself, confrontation seems inevitable: both between the West and other regions, and within Western societies. This contradiction is at the core of the current crisis in the West. (Translated by Lin Zhaohui)
Original: toutiao.com/article/7589269247416451627/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.