Was the Liberal International Order All That?
The liberal international order has had its fair share of shortcomings, but the peace and prosperity it has engendered are not fictitious.
By experts and staff
- Published
By
- Stewart M. PatrickJames H. Binger Senior Fellow in Global Governance and Director of the International Institutions and Global Governance Program
In my weekly column for World Politics Review, I ask whether the liberal international order, so often eulogized in recent years, has lived up to its ideals.
Bemoaning the death of the “liberal international order” began as a cottage industry under President Barack Obama. It has gone to scale under President Donald Trump. The reason is obvious: The main threat to an open, rule-bound world order no longer comes from outside, but from within. The American foreign policy establishment is in full grief mode as the Trump administration dismantles the handiwork of its predecessors.
Before mourning, though, it makes sense to confirm that the deceased was once actually alive.
Read the full World Politics Review article here.