By any measure, 2026 has got off to a turbulent start.
As dramatic events unfold internationally, there is deepening debate on the future of the ‘rules-based order', which was established after World War II as an international system of shared norms, laws, and multilateral institutions - among them the United Nations and the World Trade Organisation. These institutions have worked to maintain relative peace and stability across the world since that time. And at the heart of today's debate lies the question of power; who has it, how they wield it, and to what end and in whose interests. The UK government, as many others, faces the challenge of determining its position in the face of seismic shifts.
