The Global World is Renewing – The Ideas of Nationalism Are Too.

Global Shifts After the Cold War

In the two decades following the end of the Cold War, globalization gradually displaced nationalism. At the same Time, complex network systems – institutional, financial, and technological – overshadowed the role of the individual in politics. Liberal democracy, which many perceived as an undeniable global standard, solidified its positions, while integration processes accelerated.

However, a deep shift began in the early 2010s. Using the tools of the new century – social networks, digital propaganda, and economic influence – a group of charismatic leaders revived archetypes from the past: a strong ruler, a great nation, a proud civilization.

The Beginning of the Nationalist Wave

Such shifts likely began in Russia. In 2012, Vladimir Putin completed a brief experiment during which he stepped down from the presidency, handing the power to a loyal ally, while he himself took the post of prime minister. Upon returning to the presidential chair, he began to strengthen his personal power, destroying opposition and reinstating the concept of the “Russian world.”

Two years later, Xi Jinping took the helm of China with similar goals, but with much greater capabilities. His vision was ambitious: to transform China into a dominant power of the 21st century, economically and technologically independent from the West.

In 2014, Narendra Modi, a man with grand ambitions for India, rose to the position of prime minister and established Hindu nationalism as the dominant ideology of the country. That same year, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who had already ruled Turkey for over ten years, became its president, swiftly transforming the democratic system into an autocratic regime.

Trump as a Symbol of a New Era

The most significant moment in this series of events was the election of Donald Trump as president of the United States in 2016. His slogans “Make America Great Again” and “America First” reflected the populist, nationalist, anti-globalist spirit that gradually emerged both in the West and beyond.

The Prospects of Global Conflict

The current international order resembles not a clearly structured system, but rather a network of unstable, transactional relationships. At the same time, geopolitical risks are constantly rising.

On the other hand, Trump has a chance to improve the international situation if he focuses on diplomatic balancing. His approach does not involve systematic work through international organizations; rather, he could utilize a more gubernatorial model of managing the world.