The global system is entering an age of technological entropy

Power is shifting East, old hierarchies are cracking, and technology is accelerating the breakdown of the Western-led order By Wang Wen, Professor & Dean, Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, and Dean, School of Global Leadership, Renmin University of China; participant in the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club, which will be held 28 September – 1 OctoberThe “profound changes unseen in a century” often mentioned by Xi Jinping are no longer merely abstract concepts found in books; they represent the systemic collapse and restructuring currently experienced by the global system.For centuries, the world operated under a singular order – dominated by the West, characterized by linear development and a hegemonic steady state – which established fixed power structures, rules of engagement, and development paradigms. As we enter the second quarter of the 21st century, this long-standing old order has reached a critical juncture marked by runaway entropy, the collapse of paradigms, and a civilizational transition.This entropic shift of order is essentially a global transitional state where the rules of the old system fail, its structures loosen, and its momentum wa...