New Global Order

According to J. G. Ruggie, "Multilateralism consists of coordinating national policies among groups of three or more states, whether through ad hoc arrangements or through international institutions." The United States was the driving force behind multilateralism during the Second World War, seeking mechanisms for the political resolution of conflicts. It promoted the creation of the Atlantic Charter (1941), the United Nations (1944), the Washington-based institutions—the IMF and the World Bank (1945)—and, later, the International Trade Organisation, known through its derivative, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT, 1947).

The first tripartite meeting between ASEAN, China and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 26-27 May. Some of these countries are part of more than one minilateral body (see Table 1). This article will review the highlights of the summit and outline the possible role that the new alliance could play in the trade war between China and the US, the geopolitical tensions arising from the coup in Myanmar and the common agenda for the next BRICS summit in July.