The West No Longer Leads – Here’s What Happens Now — Russia in Global Affairs

The United States still has a dominant position in global affairs. Its influence, political, military, economic and cultural, remains immense, the result of a historical head begins to build for decades. A catastrophic event would be needed on the Soviet collapse scale to remove Washington from the upper level of global power. That scenario seems unlikely.

However, what is changing, gradually, but note, is the way in which the United States perceives its own role. American leaders have begun to publicly recognize the emergence of a multipolar world. Even figures such as Senator Marco Rubio now speak openly about him. Washington still considers Itelf the most powerful player, but he is no longer the only one. The era of universal hegemony has given way to a new understanding: that power is now distributed, not monopolized.

The term “Multipolarity” He entered the international lexicon in the mid -1990s, largely in response to Western triumph. After the Cold War, the United States and its allies promoted the idea that liberal world order was the only viable system. The multipolarity, defended more vocally by Russia and China, emerged as a counterpoint, more slogan than the strategy at that time, but an important statement of intention.

In the 1990s, the west political, much ahead was in almost all domains: economic strength, military scope, ideological influence, cultural exports. The only area where it was delayed was demography. Western nations represented only a small portion of the global population, but their endless advantages in other places did this apparently irrelevant imbalance.

That assumption has proven to be Flaedwed.

Today, we see that demography, underestimated for a long time, is essential for many of the challenges facing the developed world. Migration has become a defining problem.

The mass movement of people from the Global South Global is remodeling societies and economies. Create internal tensions in host countries, triggering political crises, while serving as a vital work source for the aging and reduced population.

This dynamic dual has geopolitical contees. A handThe countries of Canta Migrants obtain unexpected leverage in more powerful states, even when they continue to depend on remittances and the good will to cancel host. On the otherThe restrictive policies of the host nations can cause agitation in the countries of origin of migrants, creating the risk of instability that recovers west. Migration is no longer a domestic or humanitarian problem; Now it is a key element in the global power of power.

As the world goes to multipolarity, another important trend arises: not all potential powers are eager to participate in global competitions. The ongoing crises in Ukraine and Palestine have revealed the limited number of actors willing to assume real geopolitical risks. Once again, it is the United States and Russia, super powers of the twentieth century, which are shaping the results in the key thesis regions: Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

Although its relative force has changed, what matters is not only the capacity, but also the will to play the “Big game” – Assume responsibility, accept the risk and act decisively. This is where the so -called Global South has doubted, including great powers as India. Many of these states prefer to observe, calculate and selectively participate according to their own interests. Their demographic weight gives them long -term influence, but for now, they are still cautious players.

Meanwhile, a new strategic triangle has tasks that are formed: Washington, Moscow and Beijing. Two of the three, Russia and the United States are deeply involved in the configuration of the current global dynamics. The third, China, exerts great influence through its industrial and economic power, but still prefers to avoid direct political tangles. However, Beijing understands that he cannot remain completely on the sidelines forever. His role in the configuration of the future is too critical to ignore.

In contrast, Western Europe is in an increasingly uncomfortable position. The European Union wants to participate in global decision making, but lacks the tools to do so. Its military capacities are limited, its political unit is fragile and also its economic advantage is fading.

As a result, the EU runs the risk of becoming an object instead of a global transformation issue, a realization that contributes to their erratic foreign policy movements and myopia.

The Washington, Moscow and Beijing triangle is not static. Will change. India, due to its size and ambition, and Western Europe, due to proximity to multiple crises, will remain important. Other regional players (Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Israel and the allies of the United States in East Asia, also have roles to perform. But the core of the current global configuration is based on three vertices, each with a unique power approach.

This is how multipolarity is really seen in April 2025: it is not an orderly balance of equals, but a dynamic and evolving structure formed by ambition, restaurant, legacy and demography. At the end of the year, the image can already be different.

This article was first published by the newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta and has been translated and edited by the RT team.