In September 1990, President George H.W. Bush stood before Congress and spoke of a “new world order” — a system in which American power could bring countries together to enforce rules, contain aggression, and expand collective security. Within months, he had built a coalition of some thirty-five nations that drove Iraq out of Kuwait. American power remained central, but it worked through a “new partnership of nations.”

Last month, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the world is “clearly moving towards a multipolar world” and that the movement is irreversible. That same day, Finland’s President Alexander Stubb said he hears one word “everywhere” he travels: “realignment.”