In the first quarter of the 21st century, the capitalist world system has entered a process of historical disintegration. This unraveling is not only an economic contraction or financial turmoil, but also a harbinger of a political, military, ideological and class restructuring. Monopoly capital has become unable to resolve its internal contradictions, the rivalry between hegemonic powers has deepened, the international order has disintegrated and the world has drifted towards a multipolar structure. Therefore, the Third World War is not only a Middle East-centered war, but also a military form of the crisis of global hegemony.
The Unraveling of US Hegemony: From a Unipolar World to Multipolarity
With the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the US established a unipolar world order. This order was maintained through military power, financial supremacy, dollar hegemony, technology monopolies and ideological apparatus. But the 2008 financial crisis was the breaking point of US hegemony. This crisis was the beginning of not only an economic, but also a political and ideological collapse. The main reasons for the loss of US hegemony are the following.
- Shifting production to Asia
- The internal contradictions of financialization
- The failure of military interventions
- Domestic political polarization
- Technology monopolies lose global competition
- China's rise
- Russia's return as a regional power.
The US, which has assumed the role of the representative of monopoly capital, is no longer a power capable of determining the world order on its own.
China's Rise, a New Imperialist Center
China is the fastest rising power of the 21st century. This rise is not only economic, but also military, technological and ideological. China is the first country in the Belt and Road ( It covers road and rail links from Asia to Europe, including routes such as the Central Corridor, which includes Turkey). It is reshaping the world's trade routes with its project; making huge infrastructure investments in Africa, Asia and Latin America; and competing with the US in the field of technology. China's rise is the most important dynamic in the transformation of the capitalist world system into a multipolar structure. Unlike the classical imperialist powers, China prefers to create economic dependence instead of military invasions. But this does not mean that China is not an imperialist power, it only shows that the form of imperialism has changed.
Russia's Return, Energy Imperialism and Military Power
Russia was weakened after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, but has re-emerged as a regional power since the 2000s. Russia's power is concentrated in three main areas.
- Energy resources (Natural gas, Oil)
- Military capacity
- Geopolitical location.
Russia is increasing its influence in the Middle East, the Caucasus, Eastern Europe and Africa, challenging the US hegemony. Therefore, Russia is one of the most important actors in the Third World War.
The Crisis of the European Union: Economic Giant, Political Dwarf
The European Union, though economically strong, is politically weak. The EU's internal contradictions have made it vulnerable to imperialist competition.
- Germany-France rivalry
- Migration crisis
- Energy dependence
- Dependence on NATO
- The rise of the far right
- Economic inequalities.
The main reason for the development of xenophobia at the hands of the states is that xenophobia is at a premium in the eyes of the states because they are unable to defend themselves due to the turmoil in their countries, due to the instability in their own countries, because they are based on high-density foreign labor, and because of xenophobia, the labor-capital struggle is stifled. This is why the EU cannot be an independent actor in the global power struggle.
The Contradictions of a Multipolar World: The Inevitability of New Wars
As the world drifts towards a multipolar structure, the struggle for hegemony has become more complex. The collapse of the unipolar order has not created new stability, but rather more conflict, more war, more uncertainty. The main contradictions of the multipolar world are the following.
- US-China rivalry
- Russia-NATO conflict
- China-India tensions
- Proxy wars in the Middle East
- The new struggle for sharing in Africa
- The rise of anti-US movements in Latin America.
These contradictions determine the global character of the Third World War.
New Blocs of Monopoly Capital: Finance, Technology and Energy Axis
Today's imperialist blocs are different from the classical state-centered blocs. Blocs are now determined by capitalist fractions rather than states:
- Finance capital bloc (centered on the US-UK)
- Technology capital bloc (US-China rivalry)
- Energy capital bloc (Russia-Gulf countries)
- Digital capitalism bloc (US-EU-China triangle)
The rivalry between these blocs formed the economic basis of the Third World War.
The Position of the World's Working Peoples at the Center of the Global Network of Exploitation
The global competition of monopoly capital has deepened the exploitation of the working people of the world. The working class today:
1. More precarious.
2.More fragmented.
3. It is more disorganized.
4. More indebted.
5. It has become more invisible.
But at the same time:
a. More global.
b. More common destiny
c. Subject to more unified mechanisms of exploitation.
d. It has gained a more potentially unifiable structure. This is why the struggle of the world working class will be decisive in solving the historical crisis of capitalism.