WHAT DEFINES THE POST-COVID-19 WORLD ORDER? A HISTORICAL AND MULTIDIMENSIONAL INQUIRY

Abstract

This article undertakes a comprehensive historical and multidimensional inquiry into the evolving nature of global order, critically examining its trajectory from the modern era to the contemporary post-COVID-19 landscape. Challenging simplistic unipolar or bipolar frameworks, the paper argues that the COVID-19 pandemic did not fundamentally create a new order but rather accelerated and amplified existing structural trends, pushing the world into a "polycrisis" characterized by a "multiplex world order." Employing a systematic review and synthesis across distinct historical periods—including the imperial-state system, Cold War bipolarity, and the liberal hegemony of the post-Cold War era—the analysis integrates insights from international relations, global political economy, science and technology, global health, and social-ideological dimensions. We demonstrate that the global order has historically been shaped by European-centric institutions, colonialism, and global capitalism, leading to persistent structural inequalities. The study reveals a complex, overlapping order marked by US-China systemic rivalry, "slowbalization," digital geopolitics, vaccine nationalism, and a growing legitimacy crisis of the liberal order. This multidimensional historical approach highlights the imperative for new conceptual frameworks to understand and navigate the inherent structural interdependencies, technological shifts, and ideological contestations that characterize the 21st-century global landscape.

Keywords: Global Order, Polycrisis, Multiplex Order, Historical Trajectories, International Political Economy