Even as Israeli bombs were still raining down on Lebanon, most of the world breathed a cautious sigh of relief when news broke that Pakistan had recently mediated a ceasefire between the United States and Iran, with the goal of reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

The reprieve, however, now matched by one in Lebanon as well, was not the product of sudden restraint by U.S. President Donald Trump. Behind the scenes, American officials had pressed Pakistan to broker an agreement that would allow Trump to step back from his threats to destroy Iran’s “whole civilization” if it did not relent. The ceasefire, in other words, came about not because the world’s most powerful military imposed order, but because it was forced to contain a crisis of its own making.

While the ceasefire Pakistan negotiated is tenuous and Iran continues to control the Strait of Hormuz (Trump now has implemented a blockade of Iranian ports after negotiations stalled), this dynamic points to a deeper shift. As the era of American hegemony comes to an end, the outlines of what may come next — with countries of the Global South exercising their leadership to shape an emerging world order — are coming into view.

© The Japan Times