Post‐Western “World” Orders: The Tyranny of Demography

ABSTRACT

This commentary argues that the decline of Western dominance in the international system is driven not only by familiar processes of power transition and institutional change, but by a deeper structural constraint: demographic imbalance. While existing scholarship has emphasized economic overextension, political decay, and hegemonic competition, this study foregrounds demographic “gravity” as a key factor shaping long‐term global power distribution. It contends that a relatively small share of the world's population cannot indefinitely sustain disproportionate control over global economic and political resources. At the same time, the commentary challenges linear narratives of hegemonic succession, arguing that China faces analogous demographic and structural constraints that limit its capacity to replicate earlier forms of Western dominance. Instead, the international system is likely to evolve toward a more pluralistic configuration characterized by overlapping and competing “world” orders. These orders will reflect diverse historical experiences, institutional arrangements, and normative frameworks, while remaining embedded within a shared global system shaped by the legacies of Western expansion.