The Old World Is Dying: 7 Shocking Signs Of The Global Interregnum In 2025

The phrase "the old world is dying" is not a dramatic metaphor; it is the most accurate description of our current global reality in late 2025. This concept, rooted in the famous quote by Italian philosopher Antonio Gramsci, describes a moment of crisis—an "interregnum"—where the established political, economic, and cultural order has lost its authority, but the new world order is not yet fully formed. The results of this vacuum are global instability, cultural anxiety, and the rise of what Gramsci called "monsters".

The world is currently navigating an unprecedented period where the pillars of the post-Cold War era—from Western dominance to the promise of endless economic growth—are visibly collapsing. This article explores the seven most significant and undeniable signs that the old world is in its final stages, and what is struggling to be born in its place.

The Geopolitical Collapse: The End of Unipolarity and Rise of the Multiplex World

The most visible sign of the old world’s demise is the rapid disintegration of the unipolar world order that followed the Cold War. The era of unchallenged Western dominance, primarily led by the United States, is over. This geopolitical shift is not a gradual change; it is a rapid collapse into a state of "multipolarity" or, more accurately, a "multiplex world order".

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• The Rise of Regional Blocs: Instead of a single global system, we are seeing a fragmentation into regional blocs and shifting alliances. Strategic policy experts warn that a "patchwork of regional blocs" is replacing the old system, driven by divergent national interests and a return to strategic geography.
• The Decline of Western Dominance: Editorials and analyses from early 2025 explicitly discuss the "decline of the West" and the rise of "the Rest". The old international institutions, like the G7 and NATO, face challenges from emerging powers and organizations like the expanded BRICS group.
• The Crisis of Global Diplomacy: Events like the ongoing Ukraine conflict and other geopolitical flashpoints in 2025 are no longer being managed by a clear, unified global consensus. The "old world order" is dead, leaving a void where a "new world order" is struggling to emerge, creating immense conflict and tragedy.

The Economic Interregnum: From Globalism to Degrowth and Digital Feudalism

The economic model that underpinned the old world—neoliberalism, globalization, and the pursuit of endless growth—is under existential threat. The current economic interregnum is defined by two contradictory forces: a push for localized, sustainable systems and the rise of a new, highly centralized digital power structure.

The Deglobalization and Degrowth Movements

The old world's faith in hyper-globalization has been eroded by supply chain crises, protectionism, and the environmental urgency of climate change. A new economic discourse centered on "degrowth" is gaining serious traction, arguing that the entire financial-economic model based on "endless growth" is unsustainable and must be replaced. This represents a profound ethical and economic break from the post-war consensus.

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The Rise of Digital Feudalism

While the physical economy fragments, the digital economy is consolidating power into the hands of a few tech oligopolies. This phenomenon, termed "Digital Feudalism," describes a new serfdom where major digital platforms own the data and online ecosystems, effectively restructuring digital capitalism itself. The stakes are not just about competition; they are about a fundamental shift in power structures, where a few modern feudal lords control the digital lives of billions.

The Technological Disruption: AI, The Great Filter, and the End of Web 2.0

Technology is arguably the most aggressive force dismantling the old world. The advent of sophisticated Generative AI is not just another innovation; it is a fundamental disruption that is overwriting long-established industries, careers, and information structures.

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• The Information Crisis: The old world relied on gatekeepers—established media, universities, and political parties—to curate information. The current "post-truth" era, fueled by the speed and scale of social media and deepfakes, has led to a collapse of institutional trust and a state of information anarchy. This is a core component of the "time of monsters".
• The Great Filter of Work: As AI automates cognitive tasks, the economic value of many traditional white-collar professions is diminishing. This forces a rapid and painful re-evaluation of education, work, and social change, creating a new, uncertain "condition" for workers.

The Cultural and Institutional Crisis: The Time of Monsters

Gramsci’s quote concludes with the chilling observation: "now is the time of monsters." This is the cultural and social manifestation of the interregnum—the moment when the old rules are gone, and the new ones haven't been written, allowing irrational, extremist, or destabilizing forces to emerge.

The Crisis of Democracy and Liberal Consensus

Across the Western world, the liberal democratic consensus that defined the post-WWII era is in crisis. The rise of populist movements, the extreme polarization of "culture wars," and widespread distrust in political centers and traditional institutions are all symptoms of an old world struggling to hold itself together.

The Fragmentation of Identity

Social and cultural shifts are happening at a dizzying speed, leading to profound fragmentation. The old, unifying narratives—national identity, religious consensus, and shared cultural values—are being replaced by hyper-specific, often conflicting, identity groups. This fragmentation contributes to the social crisis stemming from economic and political upheaval.

The Ethical Void

The collapse of the old world is not just an economic or political project; it is a profoundly ethical one. The old ethical frameworks, which often supported the endless growth model and Western hegemony, are now seen as inadequate. The struggle for the new world is a struggle to define a new, more sustainable, and equitable ethical foundation, particularly in response to global challenges like the Earth4All strategy for 2025–2030.

Entities and Concepts Defining the Interregnum (30+ Entities)

To fully grasp the magnitude of the global paradigm shift, it is essential to understand the key entities and concepts currently driving the transition:

• Philosophical Roots: Antonio Gramsci, Gramsci's Interregnum, Slavoj Žižek, Gramsci Gap, Crisis Sequences.
• Geopolitical Entities: Unipolar World Order, Multipolar World Order, Multiplex World, Western Hegemony, BRICS, NATO, G7, Geopolitical Resilience, IRIS (Institute for International and Strategic Relations).
• Economic Concepts: Deglobalization, Degrowth, Racial Capitalism, Neoliberalism, Foundational Economy, Global Financial Crisis (GFC), Rethinking Economics Australia, New Economy Network.
• Technological Entities: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Revolution, Generative AI, Digital Feudalism, Web 2.0, Data Capitalism, AI Oligopolies, Post-Truth Era, Deepfakes.
• Social/Cultural Crises: Time of Monsters, Cultural Anxiety, Crisis of Democracy, Liberal Consensus, Culture Wars, Institutional Distrust, Social Fragmentation, Palermo Crossroads Summit 2025.
• Environmental/Future Strategy: Global Energy Transition, Decarbonization Pathways, Earth4All Global Strategy (2025–2030), Perma- and Poly-crisis.

Navigating the Void: What is Struggling to be Born?

The core tension of the interregnum is that the new world is "struggling to be born." While the old institutions crumble, new systems are emerging, often in decentralized, experimental, and sometimes contradictory ways.

The new world is being forged in the debates over a Global Energy Transition, the push for local and resilient food distribution networks, and the search for a new, stable, and sustainable economic model. The challenge for individuals and nations alike is to navigate this period of maximum instability—the "time of monsters"—and actively participate in shaping the new paradigm, rather than succumbing to the chaos left by the dying old world.