Africa’s Lens on a Decade of Populism and Impunity Shaking the Post‑Cold War Order

Brexit, the ascent of Donald Trump, and Israel’s war in Gaza herald the unraveling of the post‑Cold War political, economic, and moral framework. Populism, unchecked authority, geopolitical tension, and mounting economic volatility are driving the global system toward a breaking point.

Two milestones stand out. The first marks the tenth anniversary of November 2016, when Donald Trump’s inaugural election—coupled with the Brexit referendum a few months prior—signaled a decisive break from the post‑Cold War order.

The second milestone, which passed just last week, is October 7 2023. Beyond revealing humanity’s enduring capacity for barbarism, it exposed a far more troubling reality: Israel’s reaction to Hamas’s attack has laid bare how deeply the presumed ‘civilized’ world order has fractured.

When historians examine the post‑Cold War era, they will likely identify distinct phases. The initial phase stretches from 1989 and the fall of the Berlin Wall up to China’s entry into the World Trade Organization.

This period resembled a neoliberal spring—a triumphant age of globalization, liberal democracy, and Francis Fukuyama’s ‘End of History’ thesis. Yet the genocides and conflicts in Central Africa and the Balkans served as stark reminders that history had not, in fact, delivered on that promise.

History resurfaced as China rose to become the world’s manufacturing hub and, increasingly, its chief creditor. An unsustainable imbalance took shape when Chinese savings funded Western consumption, especially in the United States.

Exotic debt instruments

The resulting surge in capital…

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