How the Last Two Weeks Shook the World Order
Xi, Putin and Kim showed how closely they will work to end American dominance, and Trump played into their hands.
The terrible trio.
Photographer: Alexander Kazakov/AFP/Getty Images
History is moving fast these days: The global order is shifting in real time. Just consider the course of the past two weeks. A series of events, in places from Beijing to Georgia, demonstrate that the enemies of the existing US-led order are flexing their muscles, while its chief defender is in danger of lowering its horizons and squandering vital strengths.
Revisionist dreams were on display in China. On Sept. 1, Xi Jinping hosted the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, where he critiqued American “hegemonism” and economic bullying, called for a more “just and equitable” system, and announced a Global Governance Initiative meant to make further inroads in the Global South.