
Disorder In World Order: How Power, Principles, And Alliances Are Fracturing
The world as we, the Baby Boomers or Generation X, all born prior to 1964 saw, was a wonderful place with clearly defined lines between good and evil countries and people. It was contingent upon which side of the border one was born on, and there was no choice. In the first half of the 20th century, there were the good guys, the Allies, because they won eventually and wrote the books and global orders after the First and Second World Wars, and then there were the evil forces, the Axis, who lost and therefore had to suffer the humiliation in the history books and thereafter had to heed and follow the Allies for the balance of the 20th century.
In the second half of the 20th century, times began to improve, with both winners and losers licking their wounds. Yet, a need was felt for enemies and evils. Thus, the Cold War had to be manufactured. Nonetheless, the world was simple to understand, maintaining a balance between good and bad, as the Gods – be they Abrahamic, the crores of Indians' deities, or 'NO God" for non-believers – had always desired. There is no order without balance. Eventually, in the last few decades, the Soviets decided to implode, leaving no major evil to fight. There was only one gun-wielding superpower on Earth, left standing to police and dominate the world. The world was unipolar, and everyone was cheering.
The 21st century is turning out to be a challenge to understand, as difficult as it is for Generation Z and later millennials. It is becoming disorderly, with the Chinese staking claim, new power centres, small but aligned and partnered, emerging, and the role of non-state actors becoming preeminent. By non-state actors, one doesn't imply the bad terrorist ones, but the worst kinds: the corporates and military-industrial complexes who desire only order through controlled disorder by them.
The world is difficult to comprehend even for the best geopolitical armchair academics. The common citizens of the world have already given up as they find the orders written by the so-called good guys, world police, and preachers of good behaviour – the Western and First World – not only because of the power they wield but also because they are all white, the colour of good, being turned on its head. The leader of the most powerful country backslaps, shakes hands, and embraces a US/world-designated terrorist with $10 million on his head in the White House, the romanticised residence of the world. Then, he takes the level one notch up by having lunch at his residence with a proxy military dictator who appointed himself as a Field Marshal, bypassing all civilian leadership and letting down the entire population of Pakistan that elected a government, however flawed the election may have been. It became clear that the more terror one controls, the world would seek the company. It is like in India, where politicians used to have musclemen a few decades back, but now the order has been established that the muscleman has taken over the reins as it is much easier to avoid sharing power.
The international organisations have fallen into disarray. They were, in any case, established by the 'First World" after the Second World War to continue colonisation of the rest of the world in a much more refined and gentlemanly manner, extracting resources and forcing markets. Those countries who didn't fall in line were declared non-democratic, and then the controls were re-established through the most brutal dictator or feudal available locally, directly or through proxy democratic governments. The most telling expose has been the United Nations.
The display of the naked truth of the façade of world order and decency came about in the recent vote on condemning the Taliban for the repression it is conducting in Afghanistan. They were the bedfellows of the Americans and the NATO countries in the first venture of the 'First World" in the last quarter of the 20th century, defeating the Soviets and, in the process, sowing seeds for the worst kind of religious terrorism in the region. The spark has only touched these countries as the worst is yet to come in Europe and the US. Not having learnt the lessons of the British losing each and every foray in Afghanistan in the first half of the 20th century, and the Soviets losing their only major confrontation ever to the Taliban, the 'First World" tried to tame their earlier bride through proxies and physical presence in the 21st century. They were surprised and shocked to be unable to tame the uneducated, disparate, and divided tribals with no big guns, gunships, missiles, aircraft, and aircraft carriers. The world's biggest powers, with more than 75 percent of the world GDP, powerful militaries, excluding China that was not a party to the misadventure, failed to tame the big turbaned, dishevelled, and only equipped with Russian-origin Kalashnikovs and steely resolve. The Taliban owned the world in the United Nations.
In the United Nations General Assembly Vote on condemning repression by the Taliban, the shocker was that the US and Israel voted against it. The US had recently been booted out unceremoniously, leaving billions of dollars' worth of military equipment and pride behind after 20 years. And Israel, on the wrong end of Islamic terror, had also followed suit. India had to abstain, as your enemy's enemy is your friend, to deny the strategic depth so sought after by Pakistan and keep the channels for trade towards the CAR. Clearly, Afghanistan is not so distant for India. Iran chose to abstain for its own compulsions. They share a tenuous border with Afghanistan. China has significant resource interests in Afghanistan, and Russia wanted some credibility through a possible future partner. Only 116, out of the entire 193, fully cognizant of Taliban repression against non-Muslims and women, voted for the motion. They are yet to learn the game of trade and terror.
The world has become a strange place where morality, freedom of choice and voice, and democracy are unfamiliar terms with trade and terror, state-sanctioned or non-state-driven, having taken primacy. The rise of China and its abrasive conduct, the realisation of the third world emerging to the reality that they also matter, and the diminishing power, military, and economic, of the most powerful countries and their alliances having overplayed their hands for too long, has made the world uncertain and disorderly. The economic crises brought about by the greed of the big corporates and the climate impact caused by huge consumerism by a few at the expense of the rest are impacting those who were always exploited. Having migrated in search of jobs or been invited to do the low-end work in the host country, these migrants, legal or illegal, now rise to claim the space given voluntarily but without a thought to the long-term consequences.
Technology is the third T, forming a triad with trade and terror, causing disruptions never witnessed before. The securing of rare earth materials, besides the niche research and development that drive the engines of rapid technological evolution, has become a moot point of conversation or threats in a recent trade war on tariffs that has now emerged due to another T, Trump, driving the agenda.
The countries of the world are fractured, internally and externally. The old-time established norms of loyalties, alliances, and friendships between nations and even individuals, however powerful they may be, are shattered, driving the disorder. The affection between the two powerful entities on either side of the Atlantic, the US and NATO, is now under stress due to commitment about funds. Money can make any marriage go bad. The same was witnessed in the last few months of May to July 2025, forcing the unwilling partners of NATO in Europe to commit 5 percent of the GDP in defence. Similar stress can be seen in other alliances, due to the waning and waxing of power of different lead countries. SAARC never took off, SCO is under stress, ASEAN is operating under fear of China, BRICS remains a tiger on paper, and the state is similar in formal and informal alliances, associations, and partnerships. Even the non-state partnerships of terror organisations and corporates are under stress and duress due to different reasons. The only committed partnership remains that of the corporates in the uncertain and volatile world of disorder.
India needs to survive this uncertain and disorderly world through careful manoeuvring in trade, controlling terror, internal and external, and managing Trump, until he survives avoiding impeachment, and investing in technology. The only close and tough challenge will come from China, under internal distress and external overstretch, and yet powerful enough. A deft economic and political management of China with a powerful military is imperative. If the Chanakyan philosophies are followed in letter and spirit, and the culture of National Interests imbibed from the world's most powerful, the leadership of the country can stay the course of achieving the mission of Sashakt Bharat @2047 that is both Viksit and Surakshit. Chaos and disorder are the environments where Bharat lives daily and thrives in the long term through innovation and survivalist instincts.
Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18's views.
About the Author
Lt Gen DP Pandey
LT Gen DP Pandey is Former GOC 15 Corps
tags :
Afghanistan donald trump Geopolitics Narendra Modi terrorism
view comments
Location :
New Delhi, India, India
First Published:
July 11, 2025, 13:09 IST
News opinion Opinion | Disorder In World Order: How Power, Principles, And Alliances Are Fracturing
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)

First Post
8 hours ago
- First Post
Iran's deportation drive targets Afghan refugees amid Israel espionage allegations
Authorities have said several Afghans were arrested on espionage charges and found in possession of bomb- and drone-making manuals, although the claims have not been independently verified read more Millions from Afghanistan had fled to neighbouring Iran after the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Reuters Iran has stepped up the deportation of Afghan refugees following allegations that undocumented migrants aided Israeli airstrikes on the country last month. The move has resulted in more than 1 million people returning to Afghanistan since 1 June, including at least 627,000 deportees, according to the United Nations. Authorities have said several Afghans were arrested on espionage charges and found in possession of bomb- and drone-making manuals, although the claims have not been independently verified. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Tehran has long hosted one of the world's largest Afghan refugee populations, estimated at between 3 million and 6 million people. Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported that arrests were made in connection with the alleged espionage, while state television accused some migrants of helping Israel during a 12-day bombing campaign in June. Israel has not commented on the allegations, Bloomberg reported. The deportations have prompted widespread concern among humanitarian organisations. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has warned of 'devastating consequences' for Afghanistan, already battered by poverty, sanctions and decades of war. Remittances sent by Afghans working in Iran have been a vital lifeline for families back home, and their sudden loss is expected to deepen economic hardship. Even before the latest crackdown, Afghans in Iran faced strict limits on integration. They are largely excluded from citizenship unless one parent is Iranian, face significant barriers to higher education and formal employment, and are often relegated to low-wage work in construction and other informal sectors. The majority belong to the Hazara minority, a Shia community historically persecuted by the Taliban. Tehran's policy marks a sharp reversal from the image it has long cultivated as a refuge for Afghans sharing cultural and religious ties. While Iranian officials insist only undocumented migrants are being expelled, rights groups have documented cases of refugees with valid papers having their documents destroyed by police, rendering them 'illegal' before deportation. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Amnesty International has called the expulsions a violation of the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning people to countries where they risk serious human rights abuses. The organisation says deported women and girls are particularly vulnerable under Taliban rule, where they are barred from most education and employment. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has reported widespread abuses against those forcibly returned last year, including torture, arbitrary detention and threats to personal safety. Taliban officials have urged Iran to slow down the deportations, with Prime Minister Mullah Muhammad Hassan calling for a more gradual process. Despite these appeals, accounts from deportees describe mass round-ups in Iranian cities, transfers to remote detention centres, and bus journeys to the border crossing at Islam Qala. Many return to find themselves homeless and jobless in a country where the economy has collapsed and basic services remain scarce. Iran's measures have also fuelled xenophobic violence and harassment of Afghans. While Tehran refers to refugees as 'guests', the current deportation campaign suggests a growing hostility that could permanently reshape the status of one of the world's largest and most protracted refugee populations. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD


Mint
11 hours ago
- Mint
Iran Forcing Out Afghans En Masse After Israel Spying Claims
After the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan in 2021, Nawida fled with her family to neighboring Iran. The lawyer had helped send members of the Islamist group to jail, and feared being arrested — or killed — for her work. More than three years later, she is again in hiding — this time in a Tehran suburb with her siblings and eight-year-old son. Iran has embarked on a massive deportation drive of the country's 3 million-plus population of Afghan refugees, some of whom authorities say aided Israel's airstrikes on the country last month. 'I don't know for how long we can keep ourselves like prisoners and I don't know what lies ahead for us,' said Nawida, who no longer has a valid visa and didn't want to give her full name to avoid being identified. 'We're calling out loud on the international community to reach out and help us.' Iran is rounding up Afghan nationals like Nawida due to accusations that non-documented migrants from the country spied for Israel and helped it launch missiles during a 12-day bombing campaign in June. The claims have been made by the state broadcaster, while Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported that several Afghans had been arrested on espionage charges and for possessing manuals for making drones and bombs. The Israeli Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, which oversees spy agency Mossad, had no immediate comment. More than 1 million people have returned to Afghanistan since June 1, of which 627,000 were deported by the authorities, the United Nations said on Friday. 'Our teams are at the borders, receiving and assisting streams of exhausted, hungry, and scared people,' Babar Baloch, a spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, said by email. 'Staff and structures are absolutely inundated.' While it's difficult to verify the Iranian allegations, they have triggered a surge in xenophobic violence and harassment against an already marginalized Afghan community, which has grown in Iran since the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and subsequent wars including the 2001 US invasion. About 2.6 million officially registered Afghans live in Iran, according to the UN, and a further 500,000 are undocumented and considered illegal by the Iranian state. Iranian officials estimate the total number living in the country is closer to six million, or about 7% of the population, and often refer to them as 'guests' who have access to housing and basic services at a time when Iran's economy has been strained by sanctions. The UN has warned the deportation effort will have 'devastating consequences' for both Afghanistan and the communities and families being uprooted. That includes the loss of millions of dollars-worth of remittances sent home by Afghans working in Iran each year. The Taliban's Prime Minister, Mullah Muhammad Hassan, called on Iranian authorities to 'approach the deportation process with patience and gradualism.' according to a statement from his office. That contrasts with accounts from several deportees interviewed by Bloomberg, who said Iranian authorities have been rounding up Afghans in the street before taking them to remote detention centers. They are then taken by bus to Iran's border crossing at Islam Qala, where they cross into Herat province, in western Afghanistan. 'Many of them have been away for years, they don't have a house of home,' the UN's High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, said in a statement during a visit to Islam Qala. 'Many people live at or below the poverty line so the influx is going to be an extraordinary burden on the country.' Deportees face building a new life in an impoverished, heavily sanctioned Afghanistan struggling with multiple crises including acute food insecurity, water shortages, and basic infrastructure crippled by successive wars. Many, like Nawida, will be at risk of being targeted by the Taliban if they worked for the previous Afghan administration or for US and European institutions. Girls and women will be excluded from education beyond sixth grade and are largely shut out of employment opportunities. It feels like 'coming to the world's biggest cage, although it's my homeland,' Ahmad Saber, one of the deportees in Herat, said by phone. 'What will happen to my three daughters' education and their future?' London-based Amnesty International last week urged Iran to immediately stop 'violently uprooting' Afghans as it violates an international principle prohibiting the return of anyone to a country where they risk having their human rights violated. Expelling women and girls to Afghanistan puts them in particular danger, Amnesty said, due to the Taliban's policy of gender persecution. Research published by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan on Thursday found that Afghans who were forcibly transfered back to the Taliban-controlled state last year experienced serious human rights violations including torture, ill treatment, arbitrary arrest and threats to personal security. The majority of Afghans who flee to Iran are from the minority Hazara community, who, like most Iranians, are Shia muslim and have faced violent persecution under the Taliban. With strong linguistic and religious ties, Iran has been seen as a natural port of refuge, and shares a relatively porous border with Afghanistan that's almost 1,000 km long. But Iranian authorities keep strict limits on the ability of Afghans to integrate, even after decades of living in the country and raising families there. Afghans are generally prohibited from gaining citizenship unless one parent is an Iranian national. Universities and many job sectors are hard to access for Afghans, many of whom end up employed as casual laborers and construction workers. While the Iranian government says its only deporting Afghans classified as illegal, the Afghan Analysts Network, an independent research organization, has heard numerous reports of individuals with passports and other legal identity papers being targeted, creating a climate of panic and fear. 'We're hearing stories of people who were in Iran legally and had their paperwork and passports destroyed and defaced when they were stopped in the street by the police,' said Roxanna Shapour of the AAN. They are then told 'now you are illegal,' she said. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.


India.com
2 days ago
- India.com
This Muslim nation imposes Taliban dress code; women banned from wearing shorts, leggings, sleeveless shirts in..., and then...
Representational Image In yet another attempt at Taliban-esque moral policing by the Muhammad Yunus-led interim regime in Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Bank issued a diktat barring female employees from donning 'provocative' western outfits like short dresses, sleeveless shirts and leggings in the office. What did the order say? According to reports, the Bangladesh Bank, the country's central bank, had issued an order, directing women employees to wear 'decent and professional' clothing in the office, warning that the non-compliance with the office dress code would result in disciplinary action. 'Officials and employees at all levels should dress decently and professionally in accordance with the country's social norms,' the order read. The now rescinded order asked male workers to wear long or half-sleeved formal shirts, formal pants and shoes, while jeans and fancy pyjamas were not allowed. Similarly, it directed women employees to sarees, salwar-kameez, or any other 'simple, decent, professional attire' like a headscarf or hijab, but allowed formal sandals and shoes. The order also directed all departments to appoint an officer to monitor compliance with the dress code guidelines. However, the bank's Talibani diktat sparked a social media storm, forcing the institution to withdraw the directive after just three days. How Bangladeshi netizens responded? Taking to social media, netizens pointed out the hypocrisy reeking from bank's order, with one X user noting how daughter of the bank's governor could wear anything she wishes while employees were being forced to dress 'professionally' under the clandestine Islamic agenda which is being promoted in the country. Several users compared the directive to those imposed by the Afghan Taliban regime. 'Rule of a vigilant dictator in the new Taliban era,' one user tweeted. Why Bangladesh Bank withdrew the order? Following the backlash, Bangladesh Bank withdrew the order on Thursday. 'The circular is purely an advisory. No compulsion has been imposed regarding wearing hijab or burqa,' the bank's spokesperson Arif Hussain Khan, said in a statement. Earlier, while speaking to the media, Fauzia Muslim, president of the Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, termed the move as 'unprecedented', alleging that 'a certain cultural environment is being shaped, and this directive reflects that effort.' Meanwhile, the Muhammad Yunus regime passed another controversial ordinance on late Wednesday which proposes action against employees protesting against the government.