The system appears to be going out of its way to reignite the cold wars with Russia and China.
By Caroline Mimbs Nyce, The Atlantic
Russia and Ukraine remain on the edge of conflict; opposing forces are reportedly facing each other from just 50 yards apart. The standoff threatens to engulf the international community at a precarious moment, our contributing writer Thomas Wright argues.
“This crisis is not just about the Minsk agreements or the dispute between Russia and Ukraine,” he explains. “It is about whether we are poised to see a dramatic escalation in military confrontation among the major powers that will shake the international order to its foundation.”
- The diplomatic tool kit is rusty. “The tactics”— such as sanctions—“that used to work no longer do,” Anne Applebaum writes in our November cover story on how autocrats such as Vladimir Putin are charting the world’s future.
- And diplomacy alone can’t save democracy. Our staff writer Yasmeen Serhan highlights the limits of think-tank-style summits like the one held by President Joe Biden last week, and the weakness of America’s own commitment to democracy, writing, “Democratization begins at home.”
- Meanwhile, China is promoting a new world order. “The American monopoly on rule writing is now facing its stiffest challenge since the fall of the Soviet Union,” Michael Schuman argues.
