The Role of COVID-19 in World Order Transition

Abstract

The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has disturbed the social, political, financial, economic, educational, and health sectors all over the world. In addition, it may produce important international changes related to the world order, which is an international relations term describing the distribution of power among world powers. Although it is still too early to predict the post-virus era and the post-COVID scenario is uncertain but one thing that is confirmed is that after COVID-19 the world order will look significantly different from the pre-COVID-19 era. The United States has remarkably failed to play the role of a global leader during the current crisis because it faces many obstacles in leading the COVID-19 world order. Instead, China has the status of being the superpower of the world, and it might wish to play more of a global leadership role in the post-COVID-19 world order. Thus, the rise of China versus the United States might bring changes in the world order. In addition to this, the COVID-19 pandemic strongly affects international organizations, and they are facing a legitimacy crisis. This indicates the fact that states are the main actors in the international system, and they are only able to create changes. In this regard, the only clear thing is that the post and pre-COVID-19 world order might not be the same.