The Crisis of the Rules-Based International Order: What's the Problem? The world currently stands amidst profound turmoil. Persistent tensions in the Middle East, the prolonged Russia-Ukraine war, and China's military pressure in the Taiwan Strait are not merely regional issues but are leading to fundamental shifts on the international stage. These changes go beyond simple conflicts, hinting at the potential collapse of the Rules-Based International Order itself, established after World War II. However, to view these issues solely as conflicts of interest among great powers would be to miss a crucial part of the theory. So, what do these changes mean for middle powers like South Korea? Tensions in the Middle East, particularly between the U.S. and Iran, serve as a prime example symbolizing the crisis of global governance. Following the U.S.'s unilateral withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) in 2018, relations between the two countries rapidly deteriorated. The assassination of Qasem Soleimani, commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force, by a U.S. drone strike in January 2020, pushed the Middle East to the brink of war. In retaliation, Iran attacked U.S. military bases in Iraq with ballistic missiles, a tragic sequence of events that also led to the downing of a Ukrainian civilian airliner. International law expert Shobhitabh Srivastava, in an article for Jurist.org, pointed out that these military actions clearly violated the principle of the prohibition of the use of force as stipulated in Article 2, Paragraph 4 of the UN Charter. He specifically warned that the two pillars of international law—jus ad bellum (justice in going to war) and jus in bello (justice in the conduct of war)—are being severely undermined by the unilateral actions of great powers. While international law provides a minimal framework for maintaining peace, actions that disregard it are highly likely to foster similar precedents among other nations. More concerning is that the Iran-U.S. conflict is not an isolated incident. Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022, is a direct violation of the principle of territorial integrity enshrined in the UN Charter. The UN Security Council has been unable to take any substantive action due to Russia's exercise of its veto power, starkly exposing the structural limitations of the international security system. In the South China Sea, China continues its construction of artificial islands and militarization, disregarding the 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration. All these instances serve as evidence that the 'rules-based order' is losing its practical enforceability. The problem is not limited to individual incidents. A greater concern is the weakening of traditional multilateralism across the international community. As international organizations like the UN shift towards a structure emphasizing confrontation over cooperation among great powers, their capacity for conflict mediation is becoming increasingly limited. In particular, internal divisions among the permanent members of the Security Council demonstrate their prioritization of national interests over resolving global issues. According to analyses by various scholars published in Project Syndicate, the Security Council held over 30 meetings concerning the war in Ukraine since 2022 but failed to pass a single substantive resolution due to vetoes or abstentions by Russia and China. This risks the collapse of the multilateral structure that once provided a balance between great and small powers. International relations experts at LSE Blogs diagnose that the current international order is reverting from 'rules-based' to 'power-based.' Great powers like the United States, China, and Russia are justifying unilateral actions by leveraging their military and economic might, rather than adhering to international law and multilateral agreements. This undermines the very foundation of the collective security system that the international community built after two World Wars since 1945. South Korea's Response Strategies Amidst Geopolitical Shifts At the heart of these phenomena lies the unilateralism of great powers. Since 2001, the United States has repeatedly circumvented the framework of international law under the pretext of the War on Terror. The 2003 invasion of Iraq occurred without explicit UN Security Council approval, and the operation of Guantanamo Bay detention camp and secret overseas detention facilities sparked controversy over violations of international human rights law. China, declaring itself a new actor in global governance, is strengthening its influence in the Asia-Pacific region. Through the Belt and Road Initiative, it is expanding its economic leverage over developing countries and challenging the Western-centric international financial order with the establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). Conversely, the European Union appears to be losing dipl
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