The Liberal International Order Is Alive And Well Analysis

In 2011, Princeton professor G. John Ikenberry wrote that, despite what many critics had started to claim after the 2008 global financial crisis, “the liberal international order is alive and well.” The emergence of non-Western actors on the world scene was not a challenge to the current system but was, in fact, proof that the system worked. The rise of China, India, and Brazil via organizations like the World Trade Organization would incentivize these emerging powers as well as other still emerging states to continue to work within the system, even possibly seek leadership and authority positions within it as America’s influenced slowly declined. Continued progress on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) gives hope that developed and developing
There are a number of examples that show the liberal world order will continue to survive. One need only look at how much better the non-Western countries fared during the global economic crisis. Countries like India and China, though China could not be said to be a champion of liberal ideals, came out unshaken and continued to grow economically, because they operate within the liberal internationalist system. In terms of democracy, it may be considered to have broken down in countries such as Russia and Turkey, but it has made gains elsewhere. In 2015, Sri Lanka returned to an electoral democracy, Nigeria saw its first peaceful democratic transfer of power, and Tunisia became the first Arab democracy in decades. As for multilateral institutions, despite the loss of the United Kingdom, the EU is a resilient group recently energized by the election of Emmanuel Macron, France’s new President. Elsewhere, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is still committed to multilateral engagement and cooperation on resolving geopolitical issues
If Ikenberry and company are correct, China will still participate in the system as long as it continues to see it as a viable source of economic development. This will be especially important if the Chinese leadership wants to avoid a crisis of faith in its ability to continue improving the lives of its citizens. The liberal order still has its champions in Germany’s Angela Merkel, France’s Emmanuel Macron, and Japan’s Shinzo Abe; they must keep the faith in the system, continue to promote its values, and support the progress of new democracies around the world. Yes, the liberal order is in crisis, but crisis is the best time for democratic leaders to make positive changes in the system and, hopefully, continue its spread across the