The World Today: Autumn 2025: How a new global order is taking shape

The United States’ withdrawal from its international role will not result in global collapse, argues Amitav Acharya. Instead, we are on the verge of a ‘multiplex’ order, in which ‘re-globalization’ is led by Asia and Global South nations increasingly deploy non-alignment to get what they want.

Growing superpower competition between Washington and Beijing is fracturing the international economy and transforming globalization. Governments and businesses must adapt fast, writes Neil Shearing.

William Matthews and Ben Bland create a speculative ‘backcasting’ scenario: ‘It’s the year 2035 and China dominates the region’. They describe how that might come to pass – and how to avoid it.

Unpredictable and abrupt changes in the climate are fast approaching, but the rapid uptake of electric vehicles and solar power shows that societies can also ‘tip’ in ways that might head off the worst, says Tim Lenton.

We are on the verge of crossing the threshold set out in the Paris Climate Agreement. David Gunn and Matthew Harris explore the ideas that may help us navigate a world of more frequent and severe climate shocks.

Jessica Green, author of a new book, says climate diplomacy focuses too much on technical goals such as net zero and offsetting instead of redirecting the flow of dollars to accelerate decarbonization. Interview by Mike Higgins.

The Trump administration has withdrawn the US from major climate commitments and slashed funding for green technologies. But US companies know they must stay invested in the global energy transition, argues Helen Clarkson.

Photographer Musuk Nolte travelled to Brazil’s Rio Negro last year to document its historic drought. He talks about the impact on its communities and why he is sceptical the COP30 summit in the Amazon city of Belém will help the region.

With new embassies and trade initiatives, Kyiv is trying to win African allies and undermine Putin’s war economy. But it’s up against decades of Moscow’s influence, writes Jenny Mathers.

Thirty years after the Dayton Accords brought an uneasy end to a catastrophic war, an election to replace the banned leader of the country’s Serbian enclave is stoking tensions, writes Helen Fitzwilliam.

Interview: Natalie Sabanadze tells Sara Seth about Putin’s efforts to dominate the sea’s trade and energy routes, and why Europe needs Turkey’s support to stop him.

Donald Trump is withdrawing the United States from its global role – where and how will a new world order arise? Will Beijing rule the South China Sea in a decade? What are the new climate ideas ahead of the COP30 summit? All this and more in the autumn issue of ‘The World Today’.

Hugo Bachega asks Israelis how they regard the gathering global opposition to the war and whether it will have a lasting impact on the country’s increasing international isolation.

Satellite images reveal some of the damage of Israel’s recent airstrikes against Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen before the recent pause in hostilities. But analysis suggests that although the Iran-backed Houthis want to de-escalate, Israel is unlikely to relent in its campaign to undermine Tehran’s ‘axis of resistance’.

Reductive descriptions of recent violence and flawed elections distract from President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s shortcomings in delivering the democracy that Syria’s complex society demands, writes Rime Allaf.

The US president will enjoy the pageantry, but the prime minister will want to avoid moments that reveal differences on trade, Ukraine and Palestine recognition, writes Iona Allan.

Former development minister Anneliese Dodds writes that voters are more likely to support overseas aid if they understand its human impact.

The inability of Congress to hold the president to account has placed greater pressure on a divided judiciary. A constitutional crisis could be coming, warns Max Yoeli.

Thant Myint-U speaks to Iona Allan about his grandfather’s rapid rise from rural Burma to his decade as secretary-general of the United Nations – and his forgotten role in the Cuban Missile Crisis.

The soaring value of gold has led to rampant Illegal mining, mercury poisoning and murders by criminal gangs. Is the government losing control of this precious metal, asks Dan Collyns.

Rita Floyd and Asaf Siniver, new co-editors-in-chief of Chatham House’s global affairs journal, on bridging the gap between academia and policy, and how their research has shaped their editorial vision.

A potted selection of reviews from our sister journal ‘International Affairs’, by its book reviews editor Mariana Vieira.