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1-Page Summary of World Order

Overview

Trying to understand politics can be frustrating. Have you ever wondered why conflicts between countries continue even after major efforts from international actors?

This article will offer plenty of insights into international politics and the reasons for conflicts. The main reason is that nations have different ideas about how the world should be organized. You’ll learn why these differences exist, how they influence foreign policy, and how they’ve shaped history.

In this passage, you will find out how a war improved diplomatic relations between nations; why the childhood of a politician can influence the fate of his country; and how Mongolian invasion is connected to Russian policies.

Big Idea #1: A world order is a set of ideas about how the world should be, and a roadmap for any country’s foreign policy.

Do you ever hear discussions about historical conflicts like the Cold War or current events like the many crises in the Middle East and wonder which circumstances actually caused them? Well, a key starting point for most such conflicts is world order.

World order refers to the way a civilization or region thinks about and believes in how things should be run. They hold values and beliefs that are shared by many people, such as who has power in a society, what is the best form of government, etc.

Take European countries for example. They all agree that governments should be chosen through free, democratic elections. However, they believe this not just for their own country but also around the world. In other words, they desire a global order of democracy.

We can also determine the foreign policy platform of a nation by looking at its ideal world order. The specific agenda of any given nation is applied through foreign policy decisions that advance it, and those policies provide a secure foundation for strategic planning and long-term goals.

For instance, Prince Klemens von Metternich was a talented strategist who believed that in order to maintain stable international relations, you had to acknowledge the true interests of all actors and not just your own nation.

Big Idea #2: The balance of power can be essential to maintaining world order.

After World War II, the capitalist-run West and the communist Soviet Union began competing for control of global politics. This rivalry is known as the Cold War. It lasted decades, keeping citizens in constant suspense over which side would win.

During the Cold War, there was a lot of tension between the United States and the Soviet Union. However, no actual war broke out between those countries. Why didn’t it get to that point?

Because the two countries were equally matched, they felt threatened by each other. A balance of power can result in a stable political environment.

This might seem surprising, because a balance of power would appear to stop progress. In fact, it does prevent drastic moves as all parties are aware that the others’ strength would quickly resist them. As a result, nobody can gain an advantage and everybody is stuck in place.

However, this situation might actually be desirable because it allows the different actors time to plan and attend to important issues. Therefore, many politicians welcome a balance of power if clear supremacy is not possible. During the Cold War, neither nation could gain any real ground because the other would always keep it in check. Neither side dared to initiate direct military action because the likely retaliation would have been devastating. In fact, the stalemate didn’t cease until the Soviet Union collapsed from within; once that happened, there was no longer a balance of power and humanity dodged a bullet.