Zero: The Climate Race A new world order is emerging. Can it tackle climate change?
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Apr 30, 2026 Gordon LaForge, a Senior policy analyst at New America who studies geopolitics and global governance. He maps how the rules-based international order unraveled and why power is now dispersed. Short takes on weaponized interdependence, fluid coalitions of middle powers, and alternate pathways for climate action. A cautious look at cooperation in a messier world.
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Trump As The Accelerant Of A Long Decline
- Gordon LaForge argues Trump signaled a final rupture by explicitly discarding the US's earlier selective adherence to the order.
- That acceleration exposed and legitimized long-standing perceptions that the system was ineffective and unfair.
Tax Rules Traced Back To Colonial Era
- Akshat uses his wife's PhD research on international taxation to show institutional unfairness persists from League of Nations rules.
- Bilateral tax treaties and tax havens shifted revenue toward rich countries, disadvantaging developing nations.
A Messy Connected World With Distributed Power
- A new order is emerging where power is more dispersed across more states and non-state actors while connectivity remains high.
- Expect fluid, issue-specific coalitions led by middle powers, NGOs, and corporations rather than a single hegemon.
