Economic recession of 2009 marked the end of the US dominance in the world. The subsequent period brought transition in the global order. China stepped forward by taking “Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)”, establishing Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and creating alternative forums to engage various regions by assuming a global role. Chinese World Order here is not aimed at referring to the world dominated by China but Chinese sphere of influence with its greater role. Pakistan’s profile has improved with success against terrorism, Chinese investment and interest by other countries to invest under China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). CPEC is a flagship project of BRI which enables Pakistan’s growth and extend it economic integration with China. Pakistan’s close partnership with China enables it to play a greater political role in South Asia, Central Asia, Middle East, the Islamic world and the world at large.

The contemporary international system is undergoing a profound transformation marked by the decline of unipolar dominance and the emergence of a multipolar configuration. This study investigates how shifting power asymmetries influence global stability by systematically comparing economic, military, technological, and institutional performance across diverse international actors. Using a mixed analytical approach that integrates performance comparison tables and advanced visual analyses, the study examines how power redistribution shapes systemic behavior under conditions of competition, alliance restructuring, and institutional fragmentation. The results reveal significant variation in performance outcomes, demonstrating that multipolarity generates nonlinear and uneven effects rather than uniform diffusion of influence. While some actors display high resilience and adaptive efficiency, others experience elevated volatility, particularly in security commitment and institutional effectiveness. Overall, the findings suggest that instability in a multipolar world arises less from power diffusion itself and more from fragmented governance, unequal shock-absorption capacity, and misaligned strategic responses.

The counter-terrorist financing (CFT) and the anti-money laundering (AML) regime is one of the broadest systems of global regulatory governance which integrates commitments in the form of binding treaties, soft law standards, and transnational networks of enforcement. This paper follows its development since the disjointed structure of the 1980s to the modern day issues of digital finance. It shows that AML/CFT governance is a hybrid order, which combines hierarchical treaties, FATF soft law, regulatory networks, and reputational incentives, through doctrinal analysis of the Vienna Convention (1988), Palermo Convention (2000), UNCAC (2003), and the International Convention of the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism (1999). Even though financial action taskforce (FATF) does not have a formal treaty power, it enjoys de facto normative power due to compliance pressures. Based on FATF mutual evaluation (2013-2024), the article identifies the continuous disparity between technical compliance and operational quality, especially in the developing states, and suggests a model of reform to reconcile the norm diffusion with the ability to substantially enforce the rules.