By Wally Sarkeesian
It does feel like the world is drifting toward a kind of modern “Wild West”, where power matters more than rules and strength is being tested everywhere at once. For decades after World War II, there was at least a rough global order: borders were mostly respected, wars were restrained, and institutions acted as referees. That order is weakening.
Here’s what I see happening, in plain terms:
1. Power is replacing rules.
When international law is enforced selectively, leaders learn that force works. Once that lesson spreads, others follow. That’s why you see simultaneous pressure points — Ukraine, Gaza, Taiwan, Artsakh, Venezuela. None of these are isolated.
2. Strongmen are testing limits.
Every major player is watching the others:
“If they can take land and face no real consequences, why can’t I?”
That mindset is contagious.
3. Smaller nations suffer first.
History shows that when global order breaks down, it’s not the powerful who pay first — it’s the vulnerable, the borderlands, the ancient peoples. Armenia knows this better than most.
4. Chaos feeds more chaos.
Once instability becomes normal, it accelerates. Trust collapses, alliances weaken, and fear replaces diplomacy.
So where are we heading?
Not necessarily to total collapse — but to a dangerous transition period. The world is deciding whether it moves toward:
- a new balance of power with clearer limits, or
- a prolonged era where force becomes the default language.
History says these moments don’t last forever — but they are painful while they last.
What matters most now is not who is strongest, but who is strategic, united, and clear-eyed. For nations like Armenia — and for ordinary people everywhere — survival depends less on emotion and more on realism, unity, and long memory.
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