BRIEF 2/2025 - A World Order?
“A World Order?”, written by Shivshankar Menon, explores the idea that the world order has never been truly liberal or “orderly” for most of the world. Historically, the world has functioned in regional orders or “multiverses”, with limited interactions between regions. Furthermore, the world order, as it was understood after the Second World War, was a product of power imbalances, such as US hegemony. Today, this imbalance is no longer so pronounced and the world seems to be in a state of disorder. However, despite political fragmentation and increased conflict, economic globalisation and technological advances continue to improve the quality of life globally. Periods of disorder or contestation of the international order, such as the current one, can be fertile ground for innovation and re-evaluation of ideas about international order and society. Thus, we can view the current disorder as an opportunity to rethink and shape the future.
Paper produced as part of the project ‘Global Challenges for Development’, implemented by the Club of Lisbonin collaboration with PCS – Platform for Sustainable Growth and the Autonomous University of Lisbon, with co-financing from Camões – Institute for Cooperation and Language I.P.
