The post-Cold War international order — characterised by US primacy, economic globalisation and the slow spread of democracy — is dissolving. In its place, a more contested, multipolar world is emerging.
Force 1: The US-China Rivalry
The competition between Washington and Beijing is the defining geopolitical contest of the century. It will shape trade, technology, security and the currency system.
Force 2: European Security
The war in Ukraine has transformed European security. Defence spending is rising across the continent, and NATO is stronger than it has been in decades.
Force 3: The Global South's Rise
Countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America are pursuing more independent foreign policies — refusing to choose sides in great-power competition.
Force 4: Technological Competition
Artificial intelligence, semiconductors and quantum computing are becoming strategic assets. Control of the technology supply chain is a new dimension of great-power competition.
Force 5: Climate Geopolitics
The green transition is reshaping energy geopolitics. Oil exporters face long-term demand risk; countries with clean energy resources and critical minerals gain strategic importance.
Britain's Place
Britain's combination of soft power, financial expertise, defence capabilities and diplomatic tradition gives it significant assets in this new environment — if deployed strategically.
