No. 2026-12-A - Policy Discussion Paper: Toward a New World Order - Reconceiving The New Alignment

Abstract:

The erosion of the postwar international order has exposed a growing gap between the scale of contemporary global challenges and the capacity of existing governance arrangements to address them. This paper argues that the central challenge of global policymaking is no longer how to secure universal agreement among all major powers, but how to organize effective cooperation under conditions of fragmentation and partial non-cooperation. It proposes The New Alignment, a framework for “state-enabled polycentric governance” based on goal alignment, capacity alignment, and policy alignment. By orienting cooperation toward human flourishing through Solidarity, Agency, material Gain, and Environmental sustainability (SAGE), the framework provides a practical foundation for coalition-based collective action. The paper argues that future global governance will increasingly depend on Pivotal Power Coalitions operating within a broader polycentric system, enabling governments, businesses, international organizations, and civil society to coordinate around shared challenges. The New Alignment offers a pathway for transforming fragmented interdependence into cooperative pluralism and thereby provides a framework for effective global policymaking in the twenty-first century.