The term “world order” is being highly debated in all sections of social, political, economic, religious, environmental and security life in the age of Covid-19. The stories of new world order are being sketched smartly by analysts in all corridors of world of media without enough rationalities. Speculations of rise and fall of great powers is at its peak in political world. Uncertainty is clouding in economic weather of the world. Philosophers, poets, musicians, artists and fiction writers are painting the post-Covid-19 world in odd and even shades of life. But nobody is sure that where the world is moving except different possible scientific research-based guesses or astronomical prophecies. Every other day, hope and disparity are running parallel like a railway track. If something is common among them, it is resurgence of nationalism in socio-economic affairs, pessimism in religion with broad minded approach, acceptability of scientific approach in a section of religious clerks, and rise of realist approach in political and military policymakers along with acceptance of environmental affairs. Realism has ruled long in all affairs of nations-states across the time and proven its credibility against other theoretical concepts to run the state affairs either during crisis or peace times in international relations. It is because that at the end of the day, when survival becomes questionable to nation-states, they design their line of action in their own ways rather than listening guidelines by international community or regional allies. People become rebellious against the rules they are living by and demand relief in every walk of life when they are confined within national boundaries for an indefinite time. One can lockdown birds and animals for indefinite times but not humans at the same time around the globe. Birds and animals do not pay by themselves either for food or their living while humans do. 

Therefore, lockdown and separation may no longer work and may lead towards extreme poverty and hunger. Nations-states shall have to understand that the hunger has no religion, no feelings and becomes emotionless when it crosses certain limits. No religious approach or belief has remedy to hunger. Finally, humans have well learned that life is more important against everything.

The social distance is a rational remedy at least to avert this pandemic. Social integration, global or regional cooperation is losing charm to fight this pandemic. It is not only giving a momentum to strong nationalism but poverty and hunger with multiple new challenges to nation states. As it has been observed in case of Covid-19 that to avert these challenges, the nation-states are largely adopting the national policies around realism not liberalism. The state has become the most important significant actor in international system instead of international system structure, institutions transcending states, individual transnational non-state actors, and even social groups.  War and security has become the core concern to attain the national interest for their survival. One can observe that no worth oriented international gatherings either for economic, social, political or security purpose has been arranged worldwide. Rather all arranged meetings are cancelled or postponed until better times.

Resultantly, nation-states have realised that the national borders and their survival is more important than moral values of liberalism and religion. If the national interest is survival of the state and its people because both are at the stake, then it becomes more alarming and threatening to system. It establishes anarchy by endangering global, regional or national peace. International community will have to understand that a lot of burden that international institutions were taking on their shoulders in the form of globalisation, regionalism and transnational non-sate actors is fading. The developing world will have to take their responsibilities and settle down their issues and difference by generating the wave of nationalism at regional level and self-help at national level rather than believing in false promises of liberalism.  

–The author is an associate lecturer at University of Gujrat and a PhD candidate of International Relations & Political Science at Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad.