AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): In light of recent developments in U.S. foreign policy, the international system is increasingly drifting away from a “rules-based order” and moving toward a framework in which initiative and power take precedence over law and institutions. By prioritizing “peace through strength” and the “America First” approach, Washington has even redefined its relations with European allies, turning the classic logic that “might makes right” once again into a central axis of global relations.
Recent shifts in global politics indicate that the old logic of “might makes right” is re-emerging as the dominant rule of international relations, a logic stretching from antiquity to modern U.S. policy and now gaining renewed prominence as international institutions weaken.
Within this framework, realist scholars of international politics argue that the world is returning to a condition resembling a “state of nature”, one in which relations among sovereign states are regulated not by law but by the extent of their power.
According to this assessment, appeals to international law are becoming increasingly fragile. Global institutions and organizations appear more ineffective or constrained than in the past, while many political and economic processes are unfolding beyond their control, particularly actions that violate international rules and are largely carried out by Western coalition states led by the United States, which also dominate much of the world’s information and economic systems.
In the past, violations by other actors were viewed as isolated errors. Today, however, the very structure of the international system is eroding. The United States has not only distanced itself from certain global norms, but has also extended this approach to its European allies, allies who now experience Washington’s decisions in a more directive manner. This has generated dissatisfaction and even accusations of “betrayal” from some European countries.
Along this trajectory, Washington is redefining the order it built after World War II. After the Cold War, the United States and its allies imposed a unified set of rules on the world and reaped the political and economic benefits of hegemony. Yet the gradual transfer of power to Asia and the structural problems of capitalist economies within the Group of Seven have raised the cost of maintaining that dominance.
The Biden administration, in practice, sought to revive the old model of a unified West, a model intended to preserve global leadership through a mix of persuasion and coercion. Analysts argue, however, that this project failed, giving way to an approach now associated with the slogans “peace through strength” and “America First.”
Under this model, military, financial, technological, and political power sits at the center of foreign policy, with the main constraint being only America’s own capacity. Instead of a “rules-based order,” a form of “initiative-based order” is emerging, one in which unilateral actions gradually become precedent and justification for further moves.
This logic has also placed U.S. allies in a difficult position. Previously, they reduced their security costs by relying on Washington’s protection. Now, the United States views these relationships as costly and one-sided and seeks to reduce its financial and military burden, a shift analysts believe will not be easily reversed even with changes of government.
In this environment, initiatives associated with Trump, even if seen as personal, align with the logic of a power-centered world. In such a system, actors with less power are compelled to preserve their position by paying financial costs or displaying political loyalty.
In conclusion, the United States is attempting to preserve, and even expand, its hegemony within an emerging multipolar order. In response, other major powers will be forced to pursue independent global initiatives to safeguard their sovereignty, because in the new era of international politics, “force” is once again becoming the primary measure of “right.”
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