After 1945, leaders wanted to make sure that kind of destruction never happened again. So, they created organizations, made agreements, and set up rules.
It worked pretty well. Countries traded with each other. Wars didn’t spread too much. The U.S. was a major power. Europe was rebuilt. Countries like Japan, South Korea, and some in Africa and Asia became wealthier.
But things are always in motion. Now, in 2025, that old arrangement is starting to fall apart. It started gradually, but it’s speeding up, and you can sense it.
How It Started
Let’s rewind a bit. After World War II, the world was exhausted. Cities were destroyed, and many people had died. Nobody trusted anybody. So, leaders established the post-war system.
The United Nations was supposed to be a place for countries to talk instead of fighting. NATO promised that member countries would defend each other. The World Bank and the IMF were there to keep economies stable. The U.S. dollar became the main currency for global trade.
For years, it seemed strong. Sure, the Cold War tested it, but it held together. When the Soviet Union collapsed, some said democracy had won, and the system would last forever.
But forever is a very long time.
Things Are Breaking
Globalization was a big deal back then. Borders became more open, supply chains spread everywhere, and many people escaped poverty. But it wasn’t all positive.
Factories closed in places like Detroit. Towns suffered. People felt forgotten as politicians celebrated trade deals. People became angry.
Then came populism. Leaders started saying they’d focus on their own countries. International deals? Too complicated. NATO? Too expensive. The UN? Too weak.
Then COVID arrived. Borders closed quickly. Countries kept vaccines for themselves. Global trust, which wasn’t very strong, weakened.
Now, there are wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, trade problems with China, and countries are choosing sides. It’s not stable.
Why Care?
Why should this matter to us?
It affects our lives. When countries don’t trust each other, supply chains halt. Prices increase. Energy becomes expensive. Stores run out of items. People lose jobs.
Remember when stores ran out of masks or baby formula during the pandemic? That was a small example of what could happen when cooperation disappears.
And there’s security to consider. NATO prevented major wars in Europe for years. If that falls apart, the risks are obvious.
Real Lives
This isn’t just about politics; it affects real people.
Think about a farmer who sold soybeans to China without high taxes. Or a student who traveled around Europe without problems and now sees tighter borders. Or a family near Russia.
For them, this global system affects how they live.
What Experts Say
Experts are saying this isn’t just a temporary thing. It’s a major change.
Countries are forming new groups. The U.S. and Europe are on one side, and China, Russia, and some others are on another. Some countries, like India, are trying to stay neutral.
Organizations like the UN are struggling. The World Trade Organization is being ignored. There are even concerns about human rights.
One expert said we created a system to prevent chaos, but now we’re breaking it.
What’s Next?
What will happen now? Nobody knows. Here are some possibilities:
A divided world where countries only trade and work together for defense with their own group.
A world where tech companies create the rules, not governments.
The old organizations continue but are weaker, giving us time to find something new.
Or we could go back to chaos where power is everything. History shows how bad that can be.
A Choice
This system might be falling apart, but it’s not gone completely. We can still fix things. Leaders can try to rebuild trust. People can urge their leaders to be responsible. Countries can choose to work together, even if it’s in a different way.
But ignoring the problems is dangerous. It led to war twice in the last century. And this system was created to prevent that from happening again.
Will we change, or will we let it all collapse?
Finally
The old world order gave us years of stability. It wasn’t perfect, but it worked reasonably well.
Now it’s ending. What happens next is uncertain.
The world is at a turning point. And the decision is up to us, not just politicians.
Global order is about whether kids grow up safe, families can afford what they need, and if peace continues.
And now, we have to choose the future.