What is the Liberal International Order?

• In Event: Change, Stability, and Hierarchy in International Orders

Abstract

The American-led international order, which came into existence after the Second World War, sometimes referred to as the liberal international order, faces serious domestic and international challenges. However, theories of liberal international order are ill-equipped to understand when and how different forms of contestation cause a collapse of the existing order (and other varieties of order). This shortcoming reflects imprecision about what the liberal international order “is”. I address this limitation by extending disparate insights in theories of international relations, hegemony and hierarchy to the idea and practice of liberal international order.

Author

• Carla Norrlof, University of Toronto