Talk of new world order is no longer wishful thinking or diplomatic hallucinations. Instead, it is a reality deeply rooted in strategically important trends that have been taking shape in recent years. 
The postwar world order that put the US at the forefront of global politics has already begun to crack, with many non-Western powers inching toward redefining concepts and tools that have long been used by the West to achieve domination over other underdeveloped countries. 
The US dollar is one such tool, to begin with. It has long been a powerful tool at the hand of American officials to disrupt many countries’ economies in order to subordinate them. The de-dollarization train has already taken off all over the world to deprive the US of this tool. This trend is only one indication that the US decline is up and running. The US is on the decline in many other indicators. Its reliance on military threats and sanctions against countries such as Iran, Russia, and China that refuse US hegemony is also indicative of US degeneration.
Facing contumacious inclinations from Iran, China, and Russia, the US found itself unable to maintain its domination through traditional ways such as dialogue. These countries, along with many others, are now strongly motivated to challenge the US-dominated world order. Over the last few years, Tehran, Moscow, and Beijing have been patiently building strong relations, both bilaterally and multilaterally in the framework of institutions such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS. These emerging institutions are growing at a time when many countries allied to the West seek to join the bandwagon of the emerging new world order spearheaded by non-Western powers.
The Arab allies of the US in the West Asia region are a case in point. They have opened up to China, which enabled Beijing to play historic roles in a region where the US was traditionally the majordomo. This was on full display in March when China brokered a landmark agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia. 
And even in Europe, voices calling for reconsideration of transatlantic relations are no longer seen as dissonant. Today, many Europeans are openly calling for strategic independence from the US Having borne the brunt of the Ukraine war, the Europeans are increasingly toying with the notion of parting ways with a predatory Washington.  
Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, was among the few who ushered in this change in the global order. In recent years, he asserted that global order is shifting in such a way that the West’s domination would come to an end. 
“The global order is on the verge of an important political upheaval. This upheaval has two main features: It is taking place very quickly, and it is weakening the front of the enemies of the Islamic Republic,” Ayatollah Khamenei said in early April, according to khamenei.ir. 
He noted, “The US is one of Iran’s most important foes in the world. Facts show that America was weaker under Obama’s administration than in Bush’s administration. The US was weaker under Trump’s administration than the way it was under Obama’s administration. The US is weaker under this man’s [Biden’s] administration than the way it was under Trump’s administration.”
By Mehran Shamsuddin 
First published in Tehran Times