The Financial Times published an editorial titled “The New World Order and the Rise of the Centrist Powers”.
The Financial Times says that Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine this year put an end to the post-Cold War reconciliation between Russia and the West.
Rivalries between the United States and China have also increased, as Beijing ramps up military pressure on Taiwan and Washington tightens controls on technology exports to China.
The Financial Times believes that the growing competition between the US-led Western coalition and the Russian-Chinese axis provides opportunities and threats to the “center powers”.
As Washington, Brussels, Beijing and Moscow try to steer world affairs in their direction, they should pay more attention to the views of centrist powers such as Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and South Africa.
The Financial Times says that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is under pressure at home, but he is a skilled player on the international stage, and is trying to adapt international issues in his favor.
Despite its membership in NATO, Türkiye hasn’t joined Western sanctions against Russia.
People gather for a demonstration in London in solidarity with the Iranian people following the death of Mahsa Amini, and in support of those who lost their lives, those sentenced to death and imprisonment in the demonstrations that began on December 21, 2022.
The Financial Times says that the Ukraine war gave Ankara real leverage, as the Turks brokered the deal to allow grain to be transported across the Black Sea, thus easing food inflation around the world.
Türkiye may play an important role in future peace negotiations.
The Financial Times also says that the rise in energy prices linked to the Ukraine war led to an increase in Saudi influence, adding that the US President Joe Biden, who spoke of turning Saudi Arabia into a pariah state, visited Riyadh during the summer.
In recent weeks, the Saudis have hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The Financial Times believes that the West cannot ignore the centrist powers represented in the Group of Twenty, because their increasing economic weight means that they are necessary to form the rules of trade, technology, sanctions and international standards.
The centrist forces must also think carefully about their positions, and defending their interests is fair enough.
However, uncontrolled aggression by Russia and China will eventually also threaten the interests of centrist powers such as Türkiye, Indonesia, India and the Gulf states, the Financial Times concluded.
