John Rennie Short, Professor Emeritus of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, was the keynote speaker for the webinar. Short is an internationally recognized scholar known for his extensive work on geopolitics and global governance. Professor Norman K. Swazo, Director of the Office of Research at North South University, moderated the session, a press release said.
In his introductory remarks, Professor Md. Rizwanul Islam, Dean of SHSS, noted that current global currents indicate a complex and evolving multipolar configuration. He highlighted the shifts in the balance of global power through examples from different eras, such as the dominance of the British, Europeans, and the United States. He hoped that the change in the global order would be gradual and peaceful, not a “bang.”
Professor Short argued that the era of uncontested U.S. primacy has given way to a new geopolitical structure. This order, he explained, is marked by the rise of China seeking a “much more Sino-centric world,” a remilitarizing Europe, and an increasingly assertive Global South. He also pointed to demographic forces, particularly the “youthful revolutionary spirit” in countries like Bangladesh and Nepal, as a significant factor in this global transition.
He observed that the rise of economic nationalism, tariff realignments, and militarized alliances is reshaping global power structures. At the same time, shared existential threats, including climate change, pollution, and pandemics, are pushing nation-states toward reluctant, but necessary, global cooperation. Drawing from an essay he published recently in The Conversation, he emphasized that a single hegemon may not define the future world order but is shaped by strategic hedging, contested influence, and pragmatic diplomacy among established and emerging powers.
The lecture concluded with an interactive Q&A segment, where participants engaged with Professor Short on issues ranging from youth political agency to the strategic positioning of the Global South in an era of shifting alliances and multipolarity.
