This video summarizes a session discussing the flaws and future of the post-WWII liberal international order. The panelists analyze the system's structural weaknesses, its failures in addressing issues like the Gaza genocide and the war in Ukraine, and explore potential alternatives, including a decolonized international order. The discussion uses the ongoing conflicts and power shifts as a backdrop to explore the viability and potential replacements for the existing order.
According to Jomo Kwame Sundaram, the current international order presents significant uncertainty in its rules. Major powers, particularly the United States, prioritize short-term transactions and negotiations over sustained peace and development. This approach disadvantages the Global South, which lacks unity and strong leadership, leaving it vulnerable to exploitation and an increasingly aggressive stance from wealthier nations. He notes a shift from a charitable approach to a more aggressive one toward poorer countries, exemplified by the Trump administration's challenging perspective. The emphasis on military spending (even in Europe) further exacerbates this issue, leading to economic stagnation and deteriorating conditions for the majority of people globally. The Global South's lack of unified leadership and the West's perceived abandonment of the South are major contributing factors to this disadvantage.
Asli Bali describes "true decolonization" as requiring a fundamental shift away from the current system. It would need to abandon the idea of the sovereign right to exclude and instead center the equal rights of all human beings to flourish, travel freely, and benefit from global resources. This model would not be premised on a state-based order.
Shahd Hammuri emphasizes that true decolonization necessitates a redistribution of power beyond the capabilities of the existing international system. She points out that the initial decolonization process merely globalized the injustices of the European state system without providing reparations or addressing existing power imbalances. The continued application of Western legal thought, prioritizing private property and the status quo, hinders true decolonization.
The key obstacles preventing this transformation include the persistence of the existing state-based system, the continuation of power imbalances favoring the Global North, and the lack of political will to address historical injustices through reparations and redistribution of wealth. The ingrained colonial logics within international law and institutions, along with the ongoing acceptance of mass atrocities, also impede the process.
The Hague Group (HEG) is a group of nations primarily from the Global South that have united to publicly support Palestine and uphold rulings from the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court concerning the Gaza genocide and Israeli apartheid. The transcript mentions Malaysia, Colombia, and Cuba as members. The group aims to unify their voices and strategies to counter the influence of major powers, while also demonstrating a shared commitment to humanitarian principles and the Palestinian cause. Their actions include pledges not to buy or sell weapons to Israel.
