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Changing World Order: towards a new balance of power by Paolo Di Gaeta

          The ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war, with its impact on the commodity markets and financial flows,
          reveals a trend leading to a reshuffling of the cards among the countries on which the world order
          essentially depends.


          “In any case, a strong desire to change the   Does this mean that the world will soon be   other hand, subject to question.
          game is emerging among those whose growing   moving at an entirely different pace? “Not in   “Unlike the United States, the EU lacks a
          strength leads them to believe that their voices   the next decade, Paolo Di Gaeta responds.   common defence, and its countries do not
          should be listened to much more attentively,   “The dollar, with its value backed by American   truly follow a unified budgetary policy, even
          as China’s has been for several years, both   economic and military strength, will remain   if they do share some rules. Furthermore,
          economically and geopolitically,” observes   for several years to come, the only truly   its major decision-making process is still
          Paolo Di Gaeta, a specialist in international   universally accepted currency for energy   governed by the rule of unanimous voting
          finance.                            markets, commodities and high-tech industries   by its members. In this regard, the Russo-
          In fact, Brazil is now asking to settle purchases   (such as aerospace and defence). However,   Ukrainian conflict has shed a harsh light on
          from China in Yuan rather than dollars. Saudi   we should be wary of the turning tide. This is   the EU’s difficultly in providing simultaneous
          Arabia is calling on OPEC members to reduce   all the more so given the emergence of a new   and homogeneous responses, as well as
          oil extraction in order to support the price, while   unruly giant – India – and the fact that the   the limitations of its production capacity
          the United States has been demanding the   emerging powers such as Brazil and South   and stocks in the arms industry, especially
          opposite for months and months, to no avail.   Africa continue to draw closer to China and to   when compared to what the Americans are
          During this time South Africa invited a ship from   forge ties with it in the hope of rapidly gaining   capable of in this regard.”
          the Chinese fleet to participate in its latest naval   greater influence”.  Paolo Di Gaeta, an ardent advocate for the
          manoeuvres, and the Indian representative at                             creation of the “United States of Europe”,
          the UN, like Beijing’s counterpart, is abstaining   A Determining Period for the European Union  hopes that 2024, the year of elections for the
          from the vote to condemn Russia’s aggression   While American pre-eminence still seems   European Parliament will be a ground breaking
          against Ukraine, and also the imposing of   assured in the long term, the status of the   year. “Given the military threats and the signs
          sanctions on Moscow.                European Union on the global stage is, on the   of new dynamics in the global balance of
                                                                                   power, our ‘old continent’ must not miss the
                                                                                   opportunity to change its governance and
                                                                                   become a more federal union in order for it to
                                                                                   strengthen, if it wants its voice to continue to
                                                                                   carry weight internationally. Moreover, that is
                                                                                   why the EU’s contribution to NATO’s budget
                                                                                   compared to that of the United States needs
                                                                                   to be re-evaluated to reach the level that a
                                                                                   population of 500 million should generate.”
                                                                                   However, the very high level of public debt
                                                                                   in several EU member states constitutes a
                                                                                   significant obstacle to policy restructuring
                                                                                   within the EU, especially as the fight to curb
                                                                                   climate change and mitigate its consequences
                                                                                   is, and will be, synonymous with major financial
                                                                                   mobilisation.
                                                                                   “All the more reason why the governance of
                                                                                   the EU that will result from the 2024 European
                                                                                   elections should push for the establishment of
                                                                                   a different public accounting system, one that
                                                                                   does not categorise the raising of funds needed
                                                                                   for environmental preservation as liabilities,
                                                                                  © Depositphotos/SIphotography  investment. Of course repayments will have
                                                                                   as this is not a question of expenditure but of

                                                                                   to be guaranteed, but by very long-term loans
                                                                                   earmarked clearly for targeted purposes and
                                                                                   endorsed by supranational signatories.”



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