In Breakdown of Global Order: Explaining the Global Order of the 21st Century, Ambassador Henok Teferra Shawl crafts a narrative of intricate geopolitical transformations that began with the 2008 Beijing Olympics. This pivotal event served as a milestone in global history, symbolizing China's aggressive rise and marking the onset of a multipolar world order.

Through his detailed exploration, Ambassador Shawl underscores the significant implications of this major shift. He thoroughly unravels the process of the West's diminishing dominance and the concurrent emergence of alternative global powers, pointing out the intimate linkage of these geopolitical changes to the 2007-2008 global financial crisis.

The book critically dissects the concept of the G-2 - the idea of a world co-managed by the U.S. and China. The author underscores the ideological gaps that rendered the G-2 proposal untenable, illuminating the inherent complexities and fragile balance of international relations.

Moving beyond the emergence of new superpowers, Ambassador Shawl unflinchingly discusses the darker repercussions of these geopolitical transformations. He foresees the formation of a 'world of blocs' - spheres of influence defined by cultural ties and geopolitical interests, predicting an eventual erosion of our current global institutions and norms.

The text also critically assesses the weaponization of foreign policy by Western powers as a last-ditch effort to preserve their waning supremacy and considers the precarious future of global governance in an era characterized by hyper-competition.

A former Ethiopian ambassador, Henok Teferra Shawl, imparts unique insights born from personal experience at the forefront of these seismic global shifts. His work interweaves the struggles for national survival, international influence, and global domination, providing readers with a comprehensive framework for understanding the unfolding geopolitics of the 21st century.

Breakdown of Global Order is more than a recount of past events. It is an urgent call to comprehend and prepare for the future of an increasingly fragmented world. As it chronicles the delicate balance of power, resource scarcity, and heightened tensions, the book emerges as a beacon for policymakers, diplomats, and anyone keen on understanding the future trajectory of international relations. This indispensable read unveils the complex realities and potential challenges of 21st-century geopolitics.

Contents:

Preface

Introduction

I.               The Redistribution of Power and Global Order Imbalance

Rise of The Rest

China: Re-claiming Global Centrality

India: Equal Among Equals

Russia: Third Rome

Türkiye: Balancing between East and West

Iran: Taking on The Mantle of Persia

Brazil: Centre of Gravity of Latin America

Africa: United and Free or Divide and Dependent

Indonesia: Stabilizing Power of Southeast Asia

Decline of West’s Dominance

US Suzerainty and European Vassalage

Militarization of Foreign Policy

II.             The Age of Hyper-competition

The End of Western Universalism

Clash of Narratives, Values and Models: Pluralism vs. Uniformity

Economic Decoupling and Geopolitical Dominance

US: Separate but Dominant

China: De-dollarize and Dislodge

III.        A World of Blocs

The End of UN Diplomatic Relevance

The UN: from Honest Broker to Western Advocate

“Bi-Globalization” and the Two “Polars”

Western Polar-Bloc

Chinese Polar-Bloc

Non-Aligned Indian Bloc

Third-Tier Regional Blocs

Anchor-less World Order

End of Dollar and Global Economic Disorder

China and the Modern Tributary System

New Scramble for Africa

Latin America: At Last Monroe Free?

Middle East: Regional Powers and Global Pawns

IV.       Global Disorder and Survival of Humanity

Geopolitical Rivalry and Proliferation of Conflicts

From Proxy Wars to Semi-Direct Confrontations

Climate Emergency and Aggravation of Multi-faceted Crisis

Climate Vulnerability and Resource Grab

Migration and Walling Off

Geopolitics and Technology

“Clean” Energy and the “Dirty’ Geopolitics of Renewables

Technology: Economic Equalizer and Conflict Generator?

“The world is changing at a pace never seen before in human history. International relations, between nations, states and citizens, are undergoing new trajectories accelerated by new technologies of which AI is unquestionably the driving force. A shrewd diplomat and representative of a country with an exceptional history and cultural diversity, Mr. H. T. Shawl explores these changes with intellectual accuracy and plunges us into the complexities of the relationship between the emerging great powers and the old world, with the end of the Cold War unquestionably marking a pivotal moment for all nations. What about Africa? A staunch Pan-Africanist, Mr. Shawl advocates the unity of the African continent to face the challenges of this new multipolar world. A book not to be missed as the lucidity and relevance of the author's words bring a new look at what the new world order of tomorrow will be.”

---Firmin Edouard MATOKO, Assistant Director-general, Africa Department, UNESCO

"Henok Teferra Shawl in his new book provides us a lucid and courageous analysis of the dynamic challanges our world is facing. Connecting geopolitics, economics, international relations and history, he examined the Global system and the progressive breakdown in its order and the growing marginalization of post 1945 institutions like the UN as well as the growing roles and assertiveness  of emerging actors. A rare thinker on the international system from the perspective of developing countries, very clearly looking into the new dynamics shaping International Relations and how it affect developing  countries like Ethiopia where he served as a diplomat.”

---Tegegnework Gettu, PhD, is the former United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme.

In this timely and illuminating book, Henok Teferra Shawl describes and analyzes in fascinating detail the unfolding global order of the twenty-first century.  Breakdown of Global Order shows in clear and compelling ways that the post-WWII international order which has been anchored by the United States and dominated by the West is undergoing dramatic change. There might not be consensus on the events that have set in motion the fragmentation of the “global governance architecture,” but the U.S.-led global order is giving way to alternative and complex (and perhaps even chaotic) global arrangements which the author outlines and maps with admirable clarity and analytical skill. The author then explores the possible consequences of this emerging order of “blocs” not only to various countries, groups of countries and regions, but to the state system itself. The author persuasively argues that the absence of a global centralizing anchor might lead to “a form of fiefdom in interstate relations.”

A fascinating and instructive guide to the dramatic and profound global changes that are taking place and the nature and consequences of the emerging global order.  This superb and timely book should be of great interest to, and a valuable resource for, all who seek to understand these dramatic changes to the current global governance architecture.

---Adeno Addis is the W.R. Irby Chair and W. Ray Forrester Professor of Public and Constitutional Law at Tulane University, specializing in human rights, international law, and constitutional theory.