Jean-Noël Barrot, France’s foreign minister, argues persuasively that the major dividing line in international affairs today “is the one that separates those that support the international rules-based order from the rest” (The key global issue is not the clash of north and south, 20 February). The order that Barrot refers to is an intricate web of international agreements and cooperative practices set in place since the second world war. The United States has claimed leadership of this order, and did contribute to its creation. Sadly, however, the US has undermined this order from the beginning and, under the Trump administration, openly seeks to destroy it.
Humanity created this order in response to painfully acquired lessons about power. We know that a competitive, “power-over” approach to world affairs creates instability and inflicts great suffering. Moreover, in a world of nuclear weapons, new technologies and ecological stresses, continued pursuit of power-over poses an existential threat to human civilisation. By contrast, the rules-based order calls for a collaborative, “power-with” approach. Using that approach, we can build global human security and nurture Earth’s interdependent life-support systems, allowing us to thrive for generations to come.
