The Liberal International Order, built after World War II, has entered a phase of exhaustion where the gap between its promises and practices on the ground has widened irreparably. In particular, revisionist policies centered on the “America First” doctrine and Europe’s “selective solidarity” displayed in the Gaza and Ukraine crises have dragged the global system into an “Age of Normlessness” where raw power, not rules, is the determinant. Western leaders’ confessions at Davos 2026 that the “old order has ended” and the “Board of Peace” initiative bypassing the U.N. system prove that this new age is no longer an assumption but a registered reality.
In this new ecosystem, where institutional mechanisms are paralyzed, the source of security and legitimacy for states has shifted from international consensus to the doctrine of “self-help.” While demonstrating the impossibility of restoring the old order and the evolution of the global system into a transactional structure, this analysis examines the historical justification of Türkiye’s objection that “The World is Bigger Than Five.” The study argues that in this ruthless transition process where “those not at the table are on the menu,” Türkiye’s moves for strategic autonomy and multi-faceted diplomacy are not a choice but a necessity for survival, concluding that Ankara is not a passive part of the system but one of its founding actors.
