Before the Nation-State: Civilizations, World Orders, and the Origins of Global International Relations.

This article examines International Relations (IR) from a global and civilizational perspective, challenging the dominant Eurocentric narrative that situates the origins of IR with the rise of Western civilization and the 1648 Peace of Westphalia. It highlights five pre-Western world orders—Near Eastern, Indian, Chinese, Islamic, and Indian Oceanic—each characterized by distinct political structures, norms, and interactions that shaped early global order through both conflict and cooperation. The article critiques Samuel Huntington’s "clash of civilizations" thesis for its ahistorical and conflict-focused approach, emphasizing instead the long history of peaceful exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations. It argues for a broader, historically grounded Global IR framework that incorporates diverse civilizational contributions to concepts such as sovereignty, diplomacy, and international law, and anticipates a future "Multiplex World Order" marked by pluralism and multiple centers of influence rather than Western dominance.