Get Ready for the New World Order
August 30, 2021, 9:00 am

Dalia Ziada

The world is traumatized by the United States withdrawal from the Middle East, beginning with the chaotic and messy withdrawal from Afghanistan. Almost all agree that the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, and later from Syria and Iraq, is inevitable. But, withdrawing in such a chaotic and irresponsible manner; exposing hundreds of thousands of lives to risk, creating a refugees’ crisis, and availing the space for terrorist organizations to re-arise, is an act of insanity that will turn our world upside down. A heavy cloud of fear is covering our skies. The uncertainty about when exactly this cloud is going to melt and allow the new sun to send its light and warmth to the panicking people, is the most difficult part to deal with. However, there is one thing we know for sure is going to happen. That is the fact that our world is currently changing, and this change could be irreversible.

Decision-makers, in the east and the west, are mostly confused about how to apply the classic equation of magnifying gains and minimizing losses out of the fluid and quickly deteriorating situation in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, American politicians, especially from the leading Democratic and Republican parties, are ridiculously stuck in the blame game over the decision and the procedures applied to withdraw American and allies’ troops from Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, the general public, worldwide, is panicking about Afghanistan returning to be a hotbed for terrorist organizations, which will eventually lead to an international security crisis. The Islamic State (ISIS) terrorists have already launched two suicidal attacks near Kabul Airport, in late August, that killed over a hundred people, including American soldiers. That is only the beginning of many terrorist operations to follow.

This is the reality we are living, since the ideological extremist organization of Taliban took over Afghanistan after the United States and NATO troops started withdrawing in mid-August. But, for a moment, let’s zoom out of the bloody scene and look at the bigger picture. The waves of Afghanistan’s shock are echoing much larger than its size. The history of mankind is going through a critical transitional moment, after which the world system that we know will exist no more. A whole new world order will replace it; with new centers of power and new rules to govern.

Around the same timing, one century ago, the World Wars (1914-1945) marked the death of an old world and the rebirth of a whole new one. It was not an easy process, but eventually it resulted into a world capable of coexisting under one universal system of governance, represented by the United Nations. This was a unipolar system, wherein the United States of America acted as the one great power that enjoyed the greatest cultural, economic, political, and military influence over the world for more than seven decades. The current U.S. withdrawal from the Middle East is similar to the World Wars of the 1900s, in terms with its influence on changing the balance of power in the world. However, this will not be for the benefit of the United States, but for the benefit of its eastern rivals, Russia and China.

Ironically, the current U.S. Administration of President Biden and the former Administration of President Trump promoted for the U.S. withdrawal from the Middle East by saying that they need to reallocate resources to confront the growing Chinese power. They simply committed a grieve mistake by availing the enormous and unique political and economic playground of the Middle East to the Russian and Chinese players to dominate. What the American Democrat (current) and Republican (former) presidents failed to see is that the United States balance and power is extremely dependent on the Middle East. It is not the other way around. The Middle East can survive without the United States, but the United States will lose the major part of its economic and military power by turning its head away from the Middle East.

It will not be an exaggeration to say that the U.S. exit from the Middle East is similar to withdrawing a soul from a body, after which neither the soul nor the body will be the same. This is definitely the beginning of the end of the world as we know it. levant

BY: Dalia Ziada levant

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”