THE global order, long anchored in American economic and military dominance, is shifting toward a multipolar con-figuration.
This emerging architecture is shaped by competition over natural resources, digital innovation and strategic trade corridors.
Two rival blocs are increasingly coming into focus: one led by China, Russia, Iran and increasingly Pakistan; the other comprising the United States, India, Israel and their Western allies.
This shift is not speculative; it is structural.
The expanded BRICS grouping, now including Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia, accounts for more than 40% of the global population and approximately 36% of global GDP, according to the Interna-tional Monetary Fund.
In contrast, the G7’s share has declined to around 30%.
These figures reflect a realignment of economic power, away from traditional Western centres toward emerging economies.
As Singaporean diplomat Kishore Mahbubani noted, “We are no longer living in a unipolar world.
What we see now is the resurgence of civili-zational powers.”
At the heart of this reconfiguration lies Pakistan.
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project within China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), positions Pakistan as a logistical and strategic hub.
CPEC connects western China to the Arabian Sea, opens routes into Central Asia and integrates Pakistan into the main arteries of fu-ture global trade.
This role has expanded following renewed military tensions with India, which have further solidified defence cooperation between Pakistan and China.
During his 2024 visit to Islamabad, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi declared, “China and Pakistan are iron brothers.
Our destinies are increasingly intertwined.”
China’s growing global presence further strengthens this bloc.
In Africa, Beijing is securing lithium, cobalt and rare earth elements vital to green technologies and digital infrastructures.
Russia, despite ongoing Western sanctions, re-mains a critical supplier of global energy.
Together, these powers offer not only physical resources but also alternative financial and technological frameworks.
While the US dollar still dominates international trade—facilitating over 80% of global transactions—its hegemony is being challenged.
China’s Cross-Border Interbank Payment System (CIPS) and Russia’s MIR platform offer alterna-tives to the SWIFT network, enabling countries to bypass Western financial control.
In 2023, Russian Foreign Minis-ter Sergey Lavrov remarked, “The dollar has become a tool of coercion, not commerce.
” Adding another dimension to the monetary contest is the growing interest in a gold-backed Islamic Dinar.
Though currently marginal, the movement reflects a desire among some Muslim-majority nations to reclaim financial sover-eignty.
To me, the Islamic Dinar holds great promise.
It symbolizes the pursuit of ethical, interest-free financial alter-natives rooted in Islamic values.
As Malaysian economist Dr.
Ahamed Kameel Mydin Meera observed, “In a world of inflation, debt and currency wars, the gold Dinar represents stability, sovereignty and Shariah compliance.
” In the Gulf, alliances are being recalibrated.
While the US maintains influence through arms deals and investment ties, countries like Saudi Arabia are hedging their bets.
Riyadh’s inclusion in BRICS and its openness to trading oil in non-dollar currencies signal a strategic pivot.
As Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman asserted, “The future is not in oil; it is in global relevance.
” China’s deepening engagement in the Gulf, marked by infrastructure investments and secu-rity cooperation, demonstrates that the Middle East is no longer an exclusive Western sphere.
Influence is increasingly negotiated, not inherited.
Positioned at the confluence of South, Central and West Asia, Pakistan is both a stakeholder and a pivot in this evolv-ing geopolitical matrix.
Yet it faces formidable challenges: economic instability, governance deficits and geopolitical pressures.
If Pakistan is to benefit from the new order, it must transcend the role of a transit state and emerge as a force shaping trade, technology and regional diplomacy.
Currency competition lies at the core of this contest.
As con-fidence in the US dollar wanes, alternative systems are gaining traction.
The Islamic Dinar may still be on the fringes, but its existence points to a broader dissatisfaction with fiat currencies and the political leverage they confer.
Technology is another crucial battleground.
China’s leadership in artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure and cen-tral bank digital currencies provides it with considerable global leverage.
Initiatives such as the digital Yuan and Huawei’s 5G rollout are redefining technological norms.
In Africa—where over 50 countries are engaged in BRI pro-jects—China’s investments are fundamentally reshaping the continent’s economic landscape.
Africa’s mineral wealth and developmental potential make it indispensable in this new order.
Meanwhile, legacy institutions like the IMF and World Bank are losing legitimacy.
BRICS has established its own development bank and new security frameworks outside the Western orbit are gaining relevance.
These trends reflect a global appetite for decentralization and pluralism in governance.
I would like to delve further into the dynamics of these emerging alliances.
For Pakistan, this is not merely an opportunity—it is a strategic imperative.
We must act with vision, not inertia.
The next decade will determine whether Pakistan is a participant or a pawn in the multipolar future.
Pakistan’s strengthened ties with China, particularly following tension with India, must evolve beyond defence pacts.
They should mature into economic integration, technological collaboration and coordinated governance strategies.
The question before us is not only where we stand—but what we stand for.
The emerging world will be shaped less by traditional military alliances and more by networks of infrastructure, currency systems and technological standards.
The BRICS alliance continues to grow in scope and ambition.
The gold-backed Dinar may yet become a symbol of financial ethics.
The race for resources, norms and innovation is already underway.
In this critical juncture, Pakistan must move beyond alignment to assert genuine agency.
The future will belong to those who can forge alliances, re-write rules and invest in resilient, inclusive growth.
Now more than ever, Pakistan must lead—not follow—in shaping the new multipolar world.
—The writer is a senior media academic, former Dean of Mass Communication at Beaconhouse National University and University of Central Punjab, and currently a Professor at the University of Central Punjab. ([email protected])
