Specialized Conference on “Decline of American Hegemony and the Emergence of a New World Order” Held

A specialized conference titled “The Decline of American Hegemony and the Emergence of a New World Order” was held on Tuesday, May 6, at the Conference Center of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).
The event featured George Galloway, British politician; Ajamu Baraka, geopolitical analyst and political activist; Anya Parampil, writer, researcher, and political commentator; Glenn Diesen, university professor and political analyst; with Kaveh Taghvai serving as the moderator of the event.

George Galloway began the session by saying:
“America still holds considerable power. In the 1960s, it was called a ‘paper tiger.’ That label may still apply, but what matters now is that other countries are rising and playing greater roles. The unipolar world is changing.”

During the meeting, Anya Parampil added in this regard:
“Some believed that with the fall of the Soviet Union, politics itself had ended. But the cooperation between the US and Europe showed that politics is still very much alive. Personally, I believe we would live more freely and comfortably without them.
In any case, I believe the unipolar era is over. Today we have China, we have Iran – and the US, including Trump, fears this. Trump recently tweeted a direct threat to BRICS. That shows he’s worried about America’s diminishing status and it is not to his liking that America’s sole sovereignty is undermined. The dominance of the dollar is ending. Sanctions no longer carry the weight they once did. All the new global payment methods emerging are essentially responses to American unipolarity and bullying.
All of this points to one thing: the US cannot continue playing the global bully forever. Countries like Iran, Russia, and China are rising and taking on greater roles, both regionally and globally.”

Glenn Diesen then spoke on the decline of US power, saying:
“The dollar remains America’s primary tool of coercion, and many countries still fear that. But the truth is, most Americans today still prefer a unipolar world order led by the US – though global realities no longer support that view.
As many experts have long predicted, American hegemony is on the decline. Countries like Iran and China are now new global players. BRICS, for instance, represents a new model that counters American hegemony.
In my view, US bullying – both military and economic – will not persist. Today, many countries are conducting transactions in local currencies. These are all tools developed by countries to counter US financial threats. Even SWIFT is a new tool for other countries to counter the United States.
BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization play key roles here. The US is increasingly limited in its ability to pressure other nations.
The formula for global economic governance that worked in the 1990s no longer applies.
To stand up to America, we must help build strong, emerging economies elsewhere.”

Ajamu Baraka, speaking on trade wars and Trump’s contradictory remarks, pointed out:
“To add to what George said, the US once imposed itself on the world as a superpower many years ago – but events in recent years show a different reality.
Regarding Trump’s policies, I’d say he’s gradually yielding to current global realities. Just as he changed his stance on tariffs, Trump may now understand that America can no longer handle threats as it once did. The US has clearly moved away from its peak.”

George Galloway then addressed America’s economic issues, saying:
“Trump’s recent remarks have been contradictory.
We’re not saying the US is definitively collapsing – without evidence or analysis. But even European countries are now exploring ways to escape total US dominance.”
He went on to say:
“If you compare Trump to Barack Obama, you’ll see that Trump truly reflects America. He’s a showman – a man who could easily run a circus! He embodies the American reality.
But we must pay more attention to his actions than his words. Trump is addicted to talking, and his endless chatter often contradicts itself. So what really matters is what he does.”

Anya Parampil, speaking about economic challenges in the US, added:
“If the US wants to govern the world through financial policies, it must remember that a large portion of its population of his society is made up of workers.
One senior Harvard professor once presented a world map implying that no country should have its own economy – that all should serve the US.
But countries like Iran and Venezuela have their own laws and resist US-imposed order, because they want to retain their national sovereignty.
Two-thirds of Trump’s first-term policies did not benefit the American people. He imposed sanctions on many countries and took positions that clearly weren’t in the public’s interest.
The US now realizes that sanctions are ineffective – that’s why it resorts to threats and tariffs.”

Glenn Diesen, addressing West Asia issues and regional convergence, said:
“Middle Eastern countries play a major role in confronting US policies.
Nations like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Syria can – by cooperating and setting aside differences – play a much stronger role in resisting the US.
China seeks to build a multipolar global order. This policy indirectly enhances regional power – and Iran and Saudi Arabia have very important roles to play in that.

Trump’s threats – like imposing 100% tariffs on countries that seek to abandon the dollar – are not practical solutions. America simply no longer has the ability to enforce such pressure. That plan is already failing.
Even US allies like India are now pursuing different paths of engagement to avoid falling under Trump’s influence.”

At the end of the meeting, Ajamu spoke about oil transactions using currencies other than the dollar, saying,
“Now, many countries are seriously considering how to assert themselves in a multipolar world.
In fact, this awakening and the growing awareness of the end of the unipolar era are becoming more widespread every day.
Like George, I’m actually glad Trump was elected. He brought problems out of the shadows and revealed where the real weaknesses lie.
We’ve always had deep issues in the US, but they were hidden. Now, they’ve become visible.
Economic conditions in the US are worsening every day. People need to understand this reality and they should come to light – only then can we decide what kinds of new policies and decisions should shape our role in the emerging global order.”