Youth movements challenge the global order

Global youth uprisings. Protesters in France, Nepal, and Serbia have adopted the Straw Hat Pirates flag from the Japanese manga series One Piece to signal their rejection of established political systems (Comment is Freed). In France, 800,000 people took to the streets across 100 cities to protest the under-resourcing of public schools and police brutality (The Political Economist). Nepal’s government was recently replaced by 36-year-old rapper Balen Shah after viral reports of luxury spending by officials triggered mass demonstrations.

Legitimacy in question. Europe faces a crisis of agency as citizens perceive that critical decisions regarding energy and trade are made in Washington rather than their own capitals (Multipolar Press). This perceived lack of sovereignty drives unrest, as young people demand that politics answer to them directly (Multipolar Press). The current geopolitical order, which once set the terms for international law and trade, now struggles to maintain its authority as Asian powers and the Global South question the selective application of sanctions and sovereignty.

Strategic shifts. Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey signed the Mecca Defence Pact in September to counter Iranian influence in the region. Egypt deployed troops to fight alongside Saudi forces against Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen, marking an expansion of the regional conflict. Meanwhile, the US-led Quad alliance currently lacks momentum at the leader level, with diplomats describing the grouping as being on life support (Latika Takes).

• French intelligence agencies attributed the hacking of supermarket fridges, which caused significant food losses, to Iranian actors (The Political Economist).
• Donald Trump negotiated for Russia to release diesel reserves onto the world market to offset the political impact of the Iran war.