The rules-based international order rests on the same insight. Do we still care about the international rules-based order? When tyrants fall, appeals to sovereignty and international law suddenly multiply. When China, Russia, and Iran are the countries demanding respect for the rules-based order, it is quite possibly an indicator you are on the right track. Treating it as such empties the rules-based order of meaning and hands its language to those most eager to destroy it.

Source: New Zealand Herald January 07, 2026 17:31 UTC