https://arab.news/94kgx
With conflicts raging in some 50 countries, tariff wars becoming the new (abnormal) norm and global economic growth falling to its slowest pace in generations, there seems to be little to cheer as we enter 2026. The only certainty is that we are living with mounting uncertainty. The sole realistic prediction might be continued unpredictability.
Underlying the tensions and turmoil of our times are three unmistakable shifts that are creating a new but still unsettled terrain: from a unipolar world to a multipolar one; from a rules-based order to a power-based one; and from a politics informed by economic openness to one that insists on protectionism, mercantilism and industrial policies that emphasize domestic security. Politics is now driving economics, rather than vice versa.
There are different views about how the world will change in 2026 and beyond. As we move away from the certainties of a unipolar world, will we see a return to great power competition and to spheres of influence, the emergence of a “one world, two systems” arrangement dominated by China and the US, or simply a period of chaotic disorder?
What is clear is that every pillar of the world order we have known since the Second World War’s end is crumbling. This includes adherence to the rule of law, human rights and democracy (there are now 91 autocracies in the world but only 88 democracies), as well as multilateral cooperation, humanitarian aid and environmental stewardship.
