FOR much of the past century, the global order has oscillated between distinct poles of power. The ideological, technological and geopolitical rivalry between Washington and Moscow during the Cold War gave rise to bipolarity. The disintegration of the Soviet Union marked the dawn of a unipolar world, with the US standing unrivalled through the 1990s. The early 21st century witnessed the rise of multipolarity as emerging powers in Asia and Europe asserted their influence. The world is now entering a new era: nonpolarity.

In chemistry, when atoms in a molecule have similar or identical electronegativity (the ability to attract electrons), the molecule becomes nonpolar, meaning it carries no net positive or negative charge. In the international system, countries too have their own ‘electronegativity’, which refers to their ability to attract other states through wealth, military strength, technology, resources and leadership. As the power of major nations fluctuates, smaller states, much like electrons, shift their positions. They hedge, drift and recalibrate to seek stability amid uncertainty without fully aligning with any one side. Fluctuating power and shifting alliances give rise to a nonpolar........

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