Is another global conflict imminent?

With the volatile pace of political events around the world and the escalation of violence in the middle east due to the Arab spring, the world is becoming more polarized than it has ever been since the fall of the Berlin wall.

The issue of conflict in Libya and the rest of the middle east, has shown a great geopolitical divide among the 5 world powers that make up the core of the united Nations; China, Russia, United States, United Kingdom and France. We now know there is china and Russia on one side, being supported by the emerging economies called BRICS(Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and the trio of US, UK and France on the other side as the western powers being supported by western Europe and the so-called Nato alliance.

On tuesday, drama played out at he United nations security council as China and Russia vetoed a western-backed resolution to impose and threaten sanctions against the government of Syria, getting the US and her allies very furious. The emerging economies of Brazil, India and South Africa also refused to vote on the resolution. This means that UN can no more come out with a unanimous resolution.

How will this division play out? For some time now, there has been tension between US and China about imbalance of trade and continue US protection of Taiwan, which is supposed to be a Chinese territory. The Americans are now planning to impose sanctions on China even as the world economy staggers.

Are we seeing the emergence of a new world order or a prelude to a global conflict between the western powers and the emerging economies?
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