The central idea from the UN's creation is that avoiding another total war, especially in a nuclear age, should be the ultimate priority. Engaging in transactional geopolitics and managing great power tensions without this core focus significantly increases the risk of a catastrophic global conflict.

The current global disarray is often misdiagnosed. The system truly at risk is the deeper, 80-year-old framework created post-WWII to prevent great power war. This is a more profound rupture than the fraying of the 30-year-old, US-led post-Cold War order.

Having spawned and suffered from ideologies like fascism and communism, post-WWII Europe became deeply skeptical of passionate belief systems. This cultural exhaustion favors moderation and process, a stark contrast to rising ideological fervor in the US.

For generations, Western societies have viewed peace and prosperity as the default state. This perception is a historical outlier, making the return to 'dog eat dog' great power politics seem shocking, when in fact it's a reversion to the historical norm of conflict.

Western education systems have spent decades teaching students that nationalism is dangerous and universal humanity is the true political community. This creates a strategic weakness, as states cannot expect these same generations to instantly adopt a strong national identity and be willing to fight for their country when a geopolitical crisis demands it.

Nuclear deterrence works because the weapons provide a "crystal ball effect." Unlike WWI leaders who couldn't foresee 1918's carnage, modern leaders have a stark, pessimistic view of a nuclear war's outcome. This shared vision of guaranteed calamity creates enormous incentives to avoid starting such a conflict.

Internally divided societies rarely come together on their own. Unity is almost exclusively forged when a common external, existential threat emerges. This was seen after 9/11 and during the Cold War, where the fear of an outside enemy overshadowed internal political disagreements, forcing cooperation.

Europe's journey from global conqueror to self-destructive continent in the World Wars left a collective trauma. This history makes it deeply hesitant to embrace the centralized power and nationalist will necessary to become a superpower, a mindset the US doesn't share.

The last 80 years of a rules-based international order was an exception, not the norm. The world is reverting to its historical state of raw power politics, where nations act out of self-interest and military strength.