The 'Old World Order'.

Russia's campaign in Ukraine, despite all international pressures on Russia, has reached its strategic objectives. The Ukrainian armed forces, trained by the United States and its allies, were just as effective against the Russian military, as Afghanistan's defence forces were against the Taliban. Unlike the former Afghan President, Ashraf Ghani, the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has shown resilience. However, none of it has stood much chance in the face of advancing Russian forces-especially since it became clear that the United States and her allies will not come to the military defence of Ukraine.

And just like that, an internationally recognised country, member of the United Nations, has been overrun by Russia, in complete disregard of the international rules-based order, without much more than a peep from the Western defenders of this order.

As we get past the immediate pulse of this development, a far more significant question will need to be answered: what does Russia's military campaign in Ukraine, at the heels of America's ignominious defeat in Afghanistan, mean for the international 'rules-based order', which derives its legitimacy from American power?

The United Nations defines the international 'rules-based order' as 'a d commitment by all countries to conduct their activities in accordance with agreed rules that evolve over time, such as international law, regional security arrangements, trade agreements, immigration protocols, and cultural arrangements.'

Notwithstanding the soft and inclusive language of this definition, in essence, the international rules-based order requires all countries to abide by a set of rules created by the United States and her select partners. And any country that does not toe the American line-like Cuba, Iraq, Iran, or Syria-is slapped with economic sanctions, diplomatic isolation, and (eventual) military action. In effect, the international rules-based order is America's stick and carrot mechanism for governing the world.

While this system is ostensible packaged in the language of human rights and global collaborations, at its core, the enforceability of the international 'rules-based order' is based on a series of coercive assumptions, that include: 1) countries will abide by the dictates of the international rules-based order, over and above any bilateral issues that such countries may have inter se; 2) violation of this system will definitively result in economic and diplomatic...

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