Leadership In A Multipolar New World Order [Podcast]

On March 4, 1933, amidst a world teetering on the brink, Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered his inaugural address, famously declaring, “Courage is not the absence of fear but the judgement that something else is more important than fear.”

2. This profound statement came at a time of immense global crisis, nearly a century ago. The United States was in the throes of the Great Depression, grappling with widespread unemployment, pervasive poverty, and immense economic hardship. Simultaneously, across Europe, the ominous rise of Nazism in Germany was casting a dark shadow, with the escalating persecution of Jews becoming a grave concern. These converging crises ultimately culminated in the devastating conflict of World War II, the most destructive war in modern history.

3. As of December 2025, we’re in the midst of a crisis of credibility for multilateral institutions today. Organisations such as the United Nations, especially its Security Council, are finding it difficult to adjust to the evolving global power dynamics. Their frameworks, which have remained largely static since 1945, frequently fail to correspond with the realities of the 21st century. This leads to paralysis and a perceived inability to effectively address pressing global issues, ultimately undermining their legitimacy and capacity for coordinated action.

4. As we approach the conclusion of our 2025 series on leadership, a critical question emerges: Who can help us truly understand and navigate the essence of leadership within a multipolar new world order?

5. No one is more qualified to throw light on this vexing question than Lord Peter Hain, a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2005 to 2007, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from 2007 to 2008 and twice as Secretary of State for Wales from 2002 to 2008 and from 2009 to 2010.

6. A political veteran with over 50 years of experience, Lord Peter Hain’s journey began in South Africa, where he was raised before his family’s forced exile. He emerged as a leading British anti-apartheid activist, later representing Neath as its Member of Parliament from 1991 to 2015. Hain held significant roles in the Labour governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, serving for twelve years, including seven as a Cabinet minister. His dedication to the anti-apartheid movement was formally recognised in 2015 with the OR Tambo National Award in Silver. More recently, Hain garnered attention for his courageous work in 2017–18, when he unveiled money laundering and corruption within the UK Parliament linked to global corporations under then-President Jacob Zuma, subsequently giving crucial evidence to the Zondo Commission. Beyond his political career, he is a prolific author of 22 books and contributes to academia, teaching at GIBS and Stellenbosch business schools. His latest book is The Pretoria Boy: The Story of South Africa’s ‘Public Enemy Number One’.

7. In this episode, we discuss the topic: Leadership in a Multipolar New World Order.

8. Please take a moment to listen to Episode 023 of Conversations with Stephen Kamugasa. We invite you to follow us on your preferred podcast app to stay updated with the latest insights from our esteemed guest thought leaders.

Recommended Reading:

1. The Pretoria Boy: The Story of South Africa’s ‘Public Enemy Number One’ (Icon Books, August 2021). By Peter Hain.

2. Imperialism and Development: The East African Groundnut Scheme and Its Legacy (James Currey, 2020). By Dr Nick Westcott.

3. The Rise of Authoritarian Middle-Powers and What It Means for World Politics (Cambridge University Press, 2025). By Nic Cheeseman and Marie-Eve Desrosiers

4. Recently Released: Liberation and Corruption: Why Freedom Movements Fail (Policy Press, October 28, 2025). By Peter Hain.