Global Development Review

Welcome to Global Development Review, the podcast where we explore critical issues shaping our world today. In this episode, Professor Richard Falk joins Dr. Jaffer Latief Najar to dive into a pressing question: Is the Rule-Based World Order Diminishing in 2025?

To help us navigate this crucial discussion, we are honored to have Professor Richard Falk—one of the most influential figures in international law, global governance, and world order. He is the Albert G. Milbank Professor Emeritus of International Law and Practice at Princeton University, where he taught for over 40 years, and a former Visiting Distinguished Professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Throughout his prolific career, Professor Falk has authored more than 50 books and countless articles on global politics, international law, and human rights. His work has profoundly shaped debates on nuclear disarmament, world federalism, and global justice. As UN Special Rapporteur on Palestinian Human Rights, he played a key role in advocating for human rights and accountability on the global stage. Beyond academia, Professor Falk has been actively engaged in global activism, serving as Chair of the Board of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and contributing to major international commissions, including the Independent International Commission on Kosovo.

Today, as we witness rising geopolitical tensions, challenges to multilateral institutions, and shifting global alliances, we ask: Is the rule-based world order eroding? If so, what comes next?

In this episode, we explore:

1. The global turmoil in 2025—including President Trump’s second term, the genocide in Gaza, the war in Ukraine, the Taliban’s rule in Afghanistan, repression and ongoing conflicts worldwide—and whether this signals the diminishing of the rules-based world order.
2. Whether the global order is undergoing a transition, with emerging imperial powers challenging the dominance of the United States and Western regimes.
3. The role and relevance of the United Nations in war prevention, international law, and diplomacy. Is the UN losing its influence,power and diplomacy, and what does UN future look like?
4. How we can reimagine a more humane world order through social, political, and epistemic justice, as well as decolonial perspectives.
5. What advice Professor Falk has for younger generations, especially those feeling hopeless amid colonial projects, genocides, repression, and shrinking spaces for resistance.

Join us for this thought-provoking discussion with one of the foremost thinkers of our time, as we critically examine the shifting global landscape and the future of world governance.

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