The Middle East: The Decisive Battleground Of WW3
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The Middle East: The Decisive Battleground Of WW3
Authored by Nick Giambruno via InternationalMan.com,
It’s important to recognize that world orders are nothing new.
World orders have long been the frameworks through which major global powers set the rules of the game. They define the structure of international political relations.
Thinking in terms of world orders requires zooming out entirely—taking the geopolitical view from 40,000 feet.
On a smaller scale, it’s similar to how the most powerful criminal organizations in a city—such as mafias and street gangs—form agreements to divide their activities and territories among themselves.
Eventually, though, these arrangements always break down, leading to violent power struggles until a new agreement is reached, reflecting the shifting balance of power.
A similar dynamic is at play with the most powerful countries, world orders, and world wars.
You can think of world orders as epochs—distinct historical periods marked by evolving global power structures.
Peace of Westphalia (1648 to 1803): This agreement ended the Thirty Years’ War and established a framework for European international relations for over two centuries by maintaining a balance of power among major European states. It involved the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, France, Sweden, the Dutch Republic, and various German territories. This world order persisted until the Napoleonic Wars disrupted the balance, necessitating a new international arrangement.
Congress of Vienna (1814 to 1914): T