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Towards a new world disorder?

The post–Second World War international order appears to be nearing its end. It is increasingly being replaced by a system that openly presents itself as non-liberal, if not outrightly anti-liberal. Should this emerging (dis)order remain nominally rules-based, its rules will differ fundamentally from those established after 1945. They may simply reflect the shifting whims of powerful leaders rather than stable and broadly accepted norms of conduct.

February 23, 2026 - Andreas Umland - Hot TopicsIssue 1-2 2026Magazine

Illustration by Andrzej Zaręba

The international system forged in the aftermath of the Second World War is unmistakably in decline. What was long described as a “liberal” or “rules-based” order emerged from the founding of the United Nations in 1945 and was gradually reinforced over subsequent decades. This architecture expanded through a dense network of UN bodies and affiliated institutions, alongside regional collective security frameworks such as the Conference – later the Organization – on Security and Cooperation in Europe, or OSCE. Arms control and non-proliferation agreements, including the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention, and the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention, became key pillars of this order, shaping international relations well into the late 20th century.

The rise and fall of a system

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