{"url":"https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/04/17/order-hierarchy-medieval-chaos-power-security/?tpcc=recirc_latest062921","title":"Order Without Order","domain":"foreignpolicy.com","imageUrl":"https://images.pexels.com/photos/6796924/pexels-photo-6796924.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&h=650&w=940","pexelsSearchTerm":"Trump Latin America","category":"World","language":"en","slug":"c3b030dd","id":"c3b030dd-2ae4-40c6-90e1-59790407140a","description":"The article argues the world is entering a neo-medieval era of overlapping authorities and crisscrossing loyalties, not a simple U.S.-China order.","summary":"## TL;DR\n- The article argues the world is entering a neo-medieval era of overlapping authorities and crisscrossing loyalties, not a simple U.S.-China order.\n- Trump actions restored U.S. dominance in Latin America by voiding Chinese port deals, ousting Maduro, and securing minerals via bilateral pacts.\n- This shift demands recognizing regional power variations and pluralism over fixed global hierarchies.\n\n## The story at a glance\nParag Khanna argues that obsessing over a new global order, like post-American or U.S.-China rivalry, misses the neo-medieval reality of multilevel power dynamics. He draws on scholars like Hedley Bull to compare today's imperial states, corporations, and city-states to medieval Europe. The piece reflects on recent shifts, such as U.S. moves in Latin America and EU autonomy efforts, amid events like the Iran war.\n\n## Key points\n- Geopolitics involves spatial power across territorial, financial, and digital scales, best captured by \"heteropolarity\" and \"multiplex world\" rather than bipolar rivalry.[[1]](https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/04/17/order-hierarchy-medieval-chaos-power-security/?tpcc=recirc_latest062921)[[2]](https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/04/17/order-hierarchy-medieval-chaos-power-security)\n- History shows no fixed order is needed; pre-Westphalian Europe had contested power among lords, kings, pope, and groups like the Hanseatic League.\n- Regional security complexes vary: U.S. made Latin America unipolar via \"Donroe Doctrine,\" pressuring Panama on ports, deposing Maduro for oil, and mineral deals in Mexico, Chile, Argentina.\n- Europe pushes defense consolidation and tech sovereignty, with markets beating S&P 500 in 2025 and more Americans moving there.\n- Indo-Pacific sees India challenging China with 100+ warships and joint exercises; U.S. leads \"Pax Silica\" supply chains against Beijing.\n- City-states like Singapore and UAE wield outsized influence, drawing talent even during conflicts like the Iran war.\n\n## Details and context\nThe author rejects Western IR theory's order fixation, noting states like China have huge capacity while petrostates balance east-west ties. Post-COVID hubs like Lisbon, Athens, Dubai, and Bali attract entrepreneurs in a circuit of mobility.\n\nThis neo-medievalism echoes Bull's 1977 \"new medievalism,\" with heterogeneous regimes and no universal rules. Power stays uneven: U.S. pivotal in Eurasia, but regions negotiate independently, like Indo-Pacific maritime safety.\n\nComparisons to medieval complexity highlight how today's transnational firms and digital communities fill gaps left by fading unipolarity.\n\n## Key quotes\n> \"This neomedieval landscape is one of neither glory nor doom.\"[[1]](https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/04/17/order-hierarchy-medieval-chaos-power-security/?tpcc=recirc_latest062921)\n\n> \"Today, we should learn to recognize the New Middle Ages we are already in.\"[[2]](https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/04/17/order-hierarchy-medieval-chaos-power-security)\n\n## Why it matters\nGlobal power now shifts regionally with overlapping players, defying simple superpower narratives. Leaders and investors must navigate context-specific alliances, like U.S. mineral grabs or EU decoupling. Watch regional flashpoints, such as Indo-Pacific naval balances, though outcomes remain fluid.","hashtags":["#geopolitics","#worldorder","#neomedievalism","#uschina","#powerdynamics","#security"],"sources":[{"url":"https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/04/17/order-hierarchy-medieval-chaos-power-security/?tpcc=recirc_latest062921","title":"Original article"},{"url":"https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/04/17/order-hierarchy-medieval-chaos-power-security","title":""}],"viewCount":2,"publishedAt":"2026-04-18T04:03:40.445Z","createdAt":"2026-04-18T04:03:40.445Z","articlePublishedAt":"2026-04-17T19:30:20.000Z"}