What happens when a global order loses its story? In today’s world, it’s not just borders and alliances that are shifting. What’s also shifting are the shared narratives that held them together. The American-led order, once animated by the promise of liberal universalism, is now fraying at the edges. But this isn’t just a moment of geopolitical transition. It’s something deeper. There’s a crisis of meaning and purpose of power.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in the United States itself. From isolationist reflexes to post-truth politics, the idea of America is being rewritten. And as the US redefines itself, the world must confront the fallout. But then, it’s not just the US alone. Even China, Europe, Russia and countries like India are in the process of shaping new identities.
To make sense of all this, On this episode of The Great Power Show, I speak with Bruno Maçães, former Portuguese Secretary of State for European Affairs and one of the most original geopolitical thinkers of our time. We explore what he calls the “moments of disorder” that mark the end of old world orders, and the birth of new ones. We talk about America’s evolving sense of self, Europe’s disillusionment, and the nature of power in a multipolar world.
All of this of course is also happening at a moment when technology is changing the very essence of geopolitical competition. Maçães believes that the old geopolitics of land and sovereignty is being replaced today by a new struggle over digital architectures and artificial worlds. This provocative thesis contends that geo-political contestation today implies building virtual systems and forcing others to live inside them. From cinematic politics to civilisational divergences and technological revolutions, this is a conversation about the deep structure of change.
As always, I hope you enjoy the conversation. Please like, share, and rate the episode. And if you’d like to support the show or the work I do, feel free to reach out.
Books by Maçães:
The Dawn of Eurasia: On the Trail of the New World Order (2018)
Belt and Road: A Chinese World Order (2019)
History Has Begun: The Birth of a New America (2020)
Geopolitics for the End Time: From the Pandemic to the Climate Crisis (2021)
World Builders: Technology and the New Geopolitics (2025)
About: The Great Power Show is a bi-weekly podcast featuring candid conversations and thought-provoking interviews with leading scholars, thinkers and practitioners on the geopolitical and geo-economic changes shaping our world.