AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The New York Times, in an article by Margaret MacMillan, a distinguished historian and former president of St. Antony's College at Oxford University, referring to the clear signs of the collapse of the post-World War II international order, warned that the global community, by ignoring these warning signs, is not preparing itself for the turbulent era ahead.
The New York Times, inspired by Albert Camus's novel "The Plague," compares the current state of the world to a city whose residents ignore the appearance of dead rats in the streets and the outbreak of a mysterious disease until the disaster spirals out of control.
Margaret MacMillan wrote, "Before any storm, there are small signs such as wind, clouds, and raindrops. What is true for the weather also applies to human affairs; regimes appear powerful until they collapse. Internal revolutions and turbulence in the international order—which often go hand in hand—are easy to recognize in hindsight, but are not always predicted."
The article continues, "Today, dead rats are everywhere. Temperature records are being set and broken, the earth is scorched by droughts, and massive fires are raging. Debt in advanced economies is approaching historical levels. Artificial intelligence continues its rapid and unregulated growth, threatening jobs, security, and human existence."
The New York Times, in a section of this analysis referring to the Iran-America war, wrote, "Major powers find themselves entangled in asymmetric wars with countries that are making the most of new technologies. Iran, using cheap and mass-produced drones to attack American forces and allies, has taken control of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital corridor for global trade—perhaps permanently—severely depleted US missile stockpiles, and trapped Trump, the President of the United States, in this war of his own making."
The American newspaper emphasized, "Like the people of Oran in Camus's novel, we are understandably reluctant to accept how much the world has changed. The problems are sharp, complex, and overwhelming, and it is easier to ignore them. So, while fires rage, we spend our holidays on the coast; we ask artificial intelligence how to train a puppy, so it can think for us. We hope wars will end. But a new reality has arrived with astonishing speed."
The author, referring to historical examples including the French Revolution, the Russian Revolution, the rise of Hitler, and World War I, warned that history shows how ignoring warning signs has led to great catastrophes.
The New York Times, in this context, refers to Donald Trump's statement in January in response to a question about what constrains his power, in which he claimed, "The morality I believe in." The American newspaper compares this statement with the position of Louis XIV, the famous French king, who, after wars that severely weakened France, said he had waged them "for his own glory."
Despite all these warnings, the New York Times concluded by emphasizing that many components of an effective global order are still in our possession. International public opinion can still pressure leaders, and many international organizations, such as the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, and the World Bank, although eroding, still exist. Unwarranted optimism is a dead end, but that does not mean we cannot begin the arduous process of building something new.
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