Ukraine and the Emergence of a New World Order

European history is replete with bloodshed and war. Yet what makes the current crisis in Ukraine different is that it’s the first war fought on the European continent, since World War II, which concerns Europe alone. The world isn’t accustomed to wars of this kind. The West has grown used to participating or interfering in solving deadly conflicts in distant theaters located hundreds of miles away. Here, the equation is different. The global arena is messy and confusing, and everyone is looking toward Kyiv with apprehension and concern for the future of our world order. Moreover, a wildfire can easily erupt from the ashes still found underneath the ground of every European capital. Therefore, the United States and the EU are being extra wary of inadvertently invoking any form of European national conflict due to their actions in Ukraine. The fact of the matter is that the deep crisis we’re witnessing won’t simply disappear once Russia wins or loses this war. Today, President Vladimir Putin seeks to create an ideological axis that crystallizes the parity between Russia and the West and consolidates Moscow’s position as a force that has a serious role in shaping the new world order. The most important question revolves around the ability of the West to tame Russia through nonmilitary means. But the current crisis is already giving rise to a new world order. This is a world order in which great powers will rely more heavily on the use of force, and perhaps one in which wars will become more common. Ultimately, it’s clear that the West will not accept a balance of power in which Russia determines the fate of all Eastern European countries. The war in Ukraine will set a precedent for other conflicts to come. And if the West fails to set the tone and mold this new international system to its own benefit, it will quickly discover that the situation is no longer in its control. –Ali Al-Khushiban (translated by Asaf Zilberfarb)