THE 21ST CENTURY WORLD ORDER AND PAKISTAN

Abstract

Abstract

The rise and fall of the great powers is one of the key driving forces of international politics. At the dawn of the 20th century, Pax Britannica was the center of international politics but the 21st century unveiled with Pax-Americana as the pivot of global politics, where the US emerged as an uncontested hegemon of the unipolar world system. However, in its overstretched hegemonic commitments and hyper-power mania, the American economy bitterly suffered. Ultimately the rising powers especially, China, launched an enterprise to realign the contemporary world system to anything but the unipolar world. Pakistan, though not a claimant of the great power status; yet its geostrategic location in the South-West Asian heartland, awards it significance in the foreign policy goals of global powers. It is anticipated that in the changing global system, Pakistan would have an unavoidable relevance due to reciprocated relations with the US, growing ties with Russia and lasting strategic partnership with China.