A secret New World Order plans global takeover
The New World Order conspiracy theory has no evidentiary basis. Research by the Middlebury Institute traces its origins to 19th-century anti-Semitic propaganda and its modern form to 1990s anti-globalization literature. The phrase was used by George H.W. Bush in a 1990 speech to describe post-Cold War multilateral cooperation, not a secretive cabal.
What we know
The 'New World Order' phrase was used by U.S. President George H.W. Bush in a September 11, 1990 speech before a joint session of Congress to describe his vision of increased multilateral cooperation through the United Nations following the end of the Cold War and in response to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. Bush meant an aspirational framework for international cooperation, not a secretive plan.
Conspiracy theorists, particularly following Pat Robertson's 1991 book of the same name, adopted the phrase to describe an alleged secret plan by global elites to create a totalitarian world government. Research by the Middlebury Institute of International Studies documents that the NWO conspiracy theory has deep anti-Semitic roots, frequently echoing early 20th-century propaganda that blamed Jewish people for orchestrating world events. The theory has provided ideological justification for far-right extremism and domestic terrorism.
No credible historical, intelligence, or journalistic investigation has produced evidence of a unified secret organization planning global governance. International organizations such as the United Nations, World Economic Forum, and World Bank are publicly operating multilateral bodies with transparent (if complex) governance structures. Disagreement with their policies or influence is a legitimate domain of political debate; claims of secret world domination go beyond the available evidence.
Common claims
- Global elites have a secret plan to abolish national governments and enslave humanityNot supported. No credible evidence of such an organization or plan exists in any historical, intelligence, or journalistic record.
- Bush's 'New World Order' speech was an admission of the conspiracyFalse. Bush used the phrase to describe aspirational multilateral cooperation through the UN in the post-Cold War era.
- Organizations like the WEF are fronts for NWO implementationNot supported. The WEF is a publicly operating forum; its influence may be debated, but secret world domination is not evidenced.