Active Non-alignment and Multiplexity: Managing Uncertainty in a World Order in Transition

As the world order undergoes major shifts, and US–China tensions gain momentum, developing nations find themselves in a bind. How should they react to this great power competition? Building on previous work on the subject (Fortin et al., Eds, 2023, Latin American foreign policies in the new world order: The active non-alignment option , Anthem Press; Heine et al., 2025, The non-aligned world: Striking out in an era of great power competition , Polity Press), this article elaborates on the notion of active non-alignment (ANA) as the most suitable foreign policy approach to current challenges to countries in the Global South. The first section discusses the concept of ANA; the second section places it within the context of the transition to a multiplex world order; the third one analyses ANA as a response to the policies of the second Trump administration; the fourth one parses ANA’s grand strategy; the fifth one situates it against the background of the rise of the Global South that has taken place since 2022; some conclusions round out my argument.