From a multipolar order to a multi-civilisational world: The empire strikes back?

In this commentary, Tan Kong Yam, Emeritus Professor of Economics at NTU’s SSS argues that the 21st century may see not just a shift to multipolarity but the emergence of a multi-civilisational world order. As China and India regain influence, Western ideas such as liberal democracy as a universal model are increasingly challenged. Rather than signalling Western decline, the end of the West’s “250-year moment” reflects a broader rebalancing of economic power, cultural narratives and civilisational voices, raising questions about whether diverse systems can coexist peacefully.

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