After World War II, the victorious powers imposed a new world order.
Their will was reflected in the UN Charter, which established the United Nations. The UN Security Council, an organization within an organization, has a special status. The composition of the UN Security Council corresponds to the pinnacle of power of democracies based on proven principles of the rule of law (USA, Great Britain, and France). This laid the foundation for a "new order" based on the rules of the rule of law that define European political culture. Western democracies, especially the USA, sought to enforce it against the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China.
With the unification of Europe and the beginning of the collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the United States of America gained the position of the strongest superpower. The alliance founded by the Warsaw Pact collapsed, the Non-Aligned Movement ceased to exist, and on the contrary, NATO survived and continued its expansion. The USA won the Cold War.
The Charter for a New Europe from November 1990, signed by 34 states, including the USA and USSR, contains a declaration: We, the heads of state or government of the states participating in the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, have gathered in Paris at a time of profound change and historic hope." The era of confrontation and division in Europe has ended. We declare that our relations will henceforth be founded on respect and cooperation."
The United States reinforced its dominant position by defining itself as the leader in the fight against terrorism. Terrorism is essentially the enemy of all. The test initially went well; after the September 11, 2001 attack on New York and Washington, it led to the activation of Article 5 of the Washington Treaty and the initiation of the war on terrorism. Within the Partnership for Peace, other states joined in, not only NATO members, including the Russian Federation. The subsequent twenty-year war in Afghanistan ended in defeat for the USA and NATO not only because the USA and other states directly involved in combat operations withdrew without further ado and the Taliban movement regained control of the entire country within 10 days, but also because a number of significant states stopped supporting the USA as the determining force that defines the rules of world order.
Other strong powers have emerged that want to have superpower status: not only China, but Russia is once again claiming the position of superpower, and India is playing its new role. The ongoing wars in Ukraine and in the Middle East are nothing other than a test of who determines the rules not only on land, but also at sea, in the air, and in space. The USA must compete for its position, and competitors have enough strength to enforce a change of rules in accordance with their vital and strategic interests.
And so we return full circle to the starting point. Again, as always in the end, the rules are determined by the strongest. In the short period of about thirty years after 1990, the United States believed that its position was unshakeable, only to have to start fighting for its position after 2022.
Cyril Svoboda
