In the article, the crisis that has unfolded in the world is characterized as a civilizational world war, which has a hybrid nature, when the struggle of meanings in its significance outweighs both the armed actions of the parties and even the economic war of counter-sanctions. At the heart of modern wars is a war of meanings that affect the fate of the sovereignty and values of peoples. The outcome of the world war will now be determined not by the economy, but by the preservation or loss by peoples of their traditional values, the preservation or loss of their civilizational identity. The thesis is argued that international law is degrading through the justification of the use of double standards in international relations, which have distorted international humanitarian law, at the same time there has been a deformation of values protected by international law. The peace initiatives of the United States and China were considered. It is concluded that in the modern world war, the power and law lie in the diversity of civilizations and their peaceful coexistence.