Is There a New World Order?

            A New World Order is a dramatic change in the balance of world power. The concept of a ‘New World Order’ can be viewed as two main projections. Conspiracy theorists like Joe Wages and Ken Adachi believe that a super powerful group of elite, The Illuminati, will conspire to run the world by condemning current scientific research, creating political turmoil, taking over education and by influencing the world political leaders. Another view of a ‘New World Order’ is proposed by various macro economists, political scientists and academicians. They propagate that the world will soon witness a paradigm shift in hegemonic power from the current core regions (USA, Europe and Japan) to the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). They attribute this change to the increasing GDP rates in BRICS, increase in merchandise exports, human development index (HDI) % change, increasing energy use, and the improvements in infrastructure, human capital and technology. This paper will examine the case for the New World Order of the Illuminati, the paradigm shift proposed by world economists, and will present the strong evidence for the New World Order to be that of an economic shift towards a new hegemonic power by the BRICS.

            Conspiracy theorists believe that the New World Order is a secret society of the most powerful and rich elite of our world, who are conspiring to rule the world. This elite group is infamously known as the Illuminati. The Illuminati were profusely discussed in Dan Brown’s book, Angels and Demons. On examining various sources, the Illuminati is believed to be Satanist followers who strive to have complete control of all human beings on this planet (McManus). The goals of the Illuminati include drastically removing the human population by 5.5 billion, establishing a ‘One World Government’, completely destroying national pride and destroying all religions, especially Christianity (Coleman). 

If the Illuminati were to come to power, scientific development will be condemned, unless it is useful for Illuminati motives. Many conspiracy theories, including the Illuminati, have strong emotional appeal (Eisenstein). After mass unemployment, workers would be demoralized and discouraged and will be willing to follow anyone who will bring about change. With the mass unemployment, chaos will soon follow, along with the collapse of world economies. Along with chaos and political turmoil, the Illuminati plans to first give the supranational institutions like United Nations (UN) and International Monetary Fund (IMF) the fullest support, thus making the local institutions less powerful and slowly making them obsolete. After that, the Illuminati will take over and penetrate governments from within to ultimately destroy them (Coleman). Globalization, the interdependence of countries all around the world, will be at the mercy of the Illuminati. Once the Illuminati come to complete power, everything, including the exchange and trade of goods, services and knowledge will be monitored and controlled by the Illuminati. This is when the Illuminati plan to become the hegemonic and totalitarian power of the world.

The Illuminati plan to take over the educational system in America and destroy it. The new type of instruction that would be taught to the children is “Outcome Based Education” in which the children would be programed to be destructive. By doing this, the fundamentals of the Illuminati would be taught to each new generation at a young age. If this is successful, all future generations would think in the same line and will have the same goals as the elite Illuminati (Coleman).

Theory advocates believe that all the leaders in the industrialized countries are active members of the Illuminati (Adachi). Advocates state that only the hand-picked Illuminati members are even eligible to run for office and win for positions such as Prime Minister and President of their respective country. Anyone who does not follow the Illuminati’s way will be killed or ‘taken out’. There is great speculation that President Kennedy, Ali Bhutto of Pakistan and Aldo Moro of Italy were ‘taken out’ by the Illuminati (Adachi).

Joe Wages, an Illuminati theorist and advocator, states that his research shows that the Illuminati have corresponded to Benjamin Franklin and John Adams via letters. This is a huge step for theory advocates in providing evidence that the Illuminati did indeed exist and were in contact with some very influential people of the United States (Wages). The Illuminati theory proposes very secretive motives which are often difficult to prove. In his interview, Joe Wages states that he collects rare primary sources about the Illuminati. Theory advocates use these rare documents to legitimize the existence of the Illuminati (Wages). Coleman presents a strong case for the conspiracy theory, but we have not yet witnessed the downfall of the education system or the shutdown on world governments. Adachi’s reference to the conspiracy theory being behind Kennedy’s assassination has caught the attention of several story tellers and movie makers. A lot of the data and reporting on the Illuminati, such as Wages claims of Illuminati letters is shrouded in mystery. Media and pop culture glamorizes and idealizes the existence of the Illuminati. The concept of the Illuminati is intriguing but lacks concrete evidence to prove its existence and possibility to become the new world order.

While conspiracy theorists believe that the New World Order refers to a group of powerful elite will cause the total collapse and will take over of the world as we know it, political scientists, economists and human geographers have another plausible theory for a New World Order. According to them, a New World Order is a period in history when there is a dramatic change in the world political thought and balance of world power.

 The ‘Old World Order’ refers to the tri-core hegemonic powers of the world, United States, Europe and Japan. Because our world is becoming increasingly flat, we are entering a new age of power. United States, Europe and Japan became hegemonic powers after the fall of communism and the rise of democracy. However, the influence of the these countries are declining, while the developing countries like China and India are becoming wealthier and more powerful than ever before (Walsh). According to Dean Walsh, there will be a new multipolar world with Asia being in the center as soon as 2030. In The World is Flat, Thomas Friedman states how globalization has helped countries like China and India rise in economic status. This is due to outsourcing and offshoring of many secondary and tertiary sector jobs to these developing countries. This New World Order will replace the Western rules and systems with solutions that would benefit more regions than the ‘Old World Order’ has. 

This paradigm shift from the ‘Old World Order’ to a ‘New World Order’ could become a very plausible reality by the efforts of five nations- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) (Gordhan). BRICS is a geopolitical and economic group of nations that presents new global governance and economic relations to the world. The acronym BRICS is now used to describe the shift in power to the southern and eastern parts of the world. BRICS could very possibly be the new reality for the world in a few years because its nations represent about 42% of the total world population (Gordhan). Pravin Gordhan is the finance minister of South Africa. He stated that “global governance is at a tipping point”. This can be accounted for by the increased interdependence of the core countries with the BRICS nations. 

One main objective of the BRICS nations is to strengthen bonds and relationships with fellow BRICS nations and other nations using non-confrontational methods. Another objective of the BRICS is to increase cooperation in economic, finance and trade matters which will help balanced growth of the world economy (Gordhan). Increasing and promoting development in global financial markets and trade systems will help BRICS with this goal.

BRICS realizes the massive effects that have been happening around the world due to climate change and understand how it upsets the lives and livelihood of so many people. BRICS greatly support the research, development and use of renewable energy resources. As we learned in Chapter 4 in the Human Geography textbook, many peripheral countries do not have access to coal or money to import the coal from other countries. Because of this, the people in these peripheral nations often use wood as a source of energy. By cutting down substantial amounts of trees, this will eventually lead to deforestation. Deforestation can lead to enormous soil erosion. This has been especially prevalent in highland areas like Nepal, Peru and the Andean Bolivia (Knox and Marston 156).  BRICS supports finding new forms of sustainable development can be used for all the countries so we do not completely exhaust these valuable resources.

Using renewable energy is crucial to humans continuing to live on this planet. Without other options for energy, other than nonrenewable ones like coal, the world will be in chaos once the coal and fossil fuel is completely exhausted. Forms of renewable energy that are currently being used are wind, solar, geothermal, nuclear and hydroelectric power (Knox and Marston 152). It is projected that within about a decade, the peripheral regions will dominate the consumption of energy (Knox and Marston 153). This makes the need for renewable resource use even more important than before.

BRICS also plan to support the infrastructure development in Africa so they can compete and thrive economically. This will also help many countries in Africa to finally get out of the various debt traps the countries might be in (Gordhan). Just recently, the BRICS nations have planned and agreed to set up a new world bank to demote the increasingly unstable US Dollar and plans to remove it as the global currency of the world (Newman).

An examination of the statistics and data provided by Goldman Sachs revealed some interesting trends. Goldman Sachs, an American multinational investing firm, projected China, India, Brazil and Russia will be among the top ten largest economies by 2050 (BRICS and Beyond). Some economic development indicators include GDP per capita (Gross Domestic Product per person), projected average GDP growth rate, merchandise exports, and HDI % change (Human Development Index).

BRIC's Development Indicators[1]
Country	GDP per capita (in USD)	Projected average GDP growth rate	Merchandise Exports (USD)	HDI % Change
Brazil	$10,499	4.20%	153 billion	7.60%
Russia	$14,913	4.50%	303 billion	3.80%
India	$3,015	8.10%	162 billion	33.30%
China	$6,778	9.50%	1,201 billion	44.20%
Global Sherpa, 2011 (www.globalsherpa.org) Data Sources: World databank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), UNDP Human Development Report

In both China and India, the rapid economic growth gives a proliferation of a larger middle class. In Brazil, China and India, there is a substantial increase in scientific research (BRIC Countries – Background, Latest News, Statistics and Original Articles).  Increases in scientific research and development could give more jobs to the people of the country. With more jobs paying individuals, it could help alleviate people from poverty. 

Another indicator of growth can be the amount spent in research and development. From 2002-2007, China, Brazil and India has doubled spending on science and research (Washington).

In 2007, Goldman Sachs identified the Next 11 (N-11) as the future ‘BRICS’ countries. These countries include Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Mexico, South Korea, Iran, Pakistan, Philippians, Nigeria, Turkey and Vietnam. Some important economic indicators of these N-11 countries are energy use, infrastructure, urbanization, human capital, and technology (BRICS and Beyond).

As countries develop, become industrialized, and use more energy, they add to the carbon dioxide emissions will skyrocket and will cause global climate change. In 2007, the N-11 countries together consumed about 9% of the world’s energy. About 19% of the world’s total carbon dioxide emissions come from these N-11 countries (BRICS and Beyond). However, energy consumption is increasing, which also leads to increases in carbon dioxide emissions. Mexico, Indonesia, Philippians and Turkey have estimated around $600 billion USD in infrastructure investment (BRICS and Beyond).

Another indicator is spending in infrastructure. Infrastructure investment happens after the second step in the Rostow’s Stages of Economic Development (Knox and Marston 272). Urbanization will support the economic growth of a country. The N-11 countries trail the BRICS countries in urbanization potential. However, the virtual infrastructures like home phones and mobile phones have increased dramatically in the N-11 countries. In South Korea, from 2000-2004, the number of home and mobile phone subscribers have increased from 1,100 phones per 1,000 people to 1,300 phones per 1,000 people. In Turkey, it has increased from about 500 to almost 800 phones per 1,000 people (BRICS and Beyond). Technology adoption, like mobile and home phones, has improved the long term growth of a country.

Life expectancy is a very important economic indicator. In health expenditures (per capita), most of the N-11 countries have surpassed the BRICS countries since 2003. It has been projected that both the BRICS and N-11 nations’ residents will have the same life expectancy as the core countries of today (BRICS and Beyond).

With the BRICS and N-11 countries becoming more industrialized and powerful, more countries will cause the shift from periphery to semi periphery and core country economic status. There are various effects that would be caused by this phenomenon. First, this will definitely change the dynamics of the economic structure of the world. Second, these countries will pollute the environment more, like more carbon dioxide emissions, with the increased number of industries and factories. Third, with many newer industrialized countries, this could lead to many countries having a majority of secondary and tertiary sector jobs which replace the primary sector. Fourth, there would be an increased number of industrialized countries competing at a global scale. Since the peripheral countries are one of the main causes of the increasing global population, the transition from periphery to semi-periphery and core countries will create less of a need to have many children. As heath care opportunities increase, the infant mortality rate will decrease. This will reduce the need to have multiple children as more children will survive. 

In examining the literature and data about the emergence of a New World Order, two prospects come to light. Conspiracy theorists make a compelling case for the Illuminati. However, it is debatable if this secret organization is capable of making the drastic changes needed to emerge as the New World Order. There is overwhelming evidence and statistical data about the BRICS countries emerging to become a multipolar hegemonic power. The shifts in economic growth, energy usage, infrastructure development and health care reforms will truly lead the BRICS to the ‘New World Order’ and eclipse the power of the tri-core hegemony of the USA, Europe and Japan.

Works Cited

Adachi, Ken. The New World Order (NWO) An Overview. 17 May 2012. Web. 1 December 2013.

BRIC Countries – Background, Latest News, Statistics and Original Articles. 2011. Web. 11 December 2013.

"BRICS and Beyond." 2007. Goldman Sachs. Web. 11 December 2013.

Coleman, John. 21 Goals of the Illuminati and The Committee of 300. 15 March 2005. Web. 2 December 2013.

Eisenstein, Charles. Synchronicity, Myth, and the New World Order. 2011. Web. 1 December 2013.

Gordhan, Pravin. Cairo Reviews of Global Affairs. 2010. Web. 5 December 2013.

Knox, Paul L and Sallie A Marston. Human Geography: Places and Regions in Global Context. Upper Saddle Hill: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007. Print.

McManus, Brian. The Illuminati: Conspiracy Theory or New World Order? 1 December 2010. Web. 1 December 2013.

Newman, Alex. BRICS Regimes Forge New World Bank, Call for Global Currency. 3 April 2013. Web. 5 December 2013.

Wages, Joe. Joe Wäges Interview: Illuminati Primary Source Material 10 November 2010. Print. 13 December 2013. .

Walsh, Dean. The Real New World Order – Myth, Disinformation and Conspiracy Theories. 17 December 2012. Web. 2 December 2013.

Washington, R. A. Welcome to the post-BRIC world. 6 May 2013. Web. 15 December 2013.

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[1] Global Sherpa, 2011 (www.globalsherpa.org)