The U.S., China, and the Future of the Liberal International Order

Description

The liberal international order now confronts two powerful governments whose attachment to its norms and institutions are questionable: the United States and China. China’s rise and its implications for the existing world order have been a central issue for some time; the equivocal support of the United States for existing rules is a more recent development. Now that these two powers have taken economic and political steps that threaten to spiral into a deeper conflict, what is the outlook for preservation or change in an order that neither government appears committed to preserve?

Miles Kahler is Distinguished Professor at the School of International Service, American University, and Senior Fellow for Global Governance at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, D. C. Previously, he was Rohr Professor of Pacific International Relations and Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the University of California, San Diego. He has published widely in the fields of international politics and international political economy, including articles and books on global governance, international financial institutions, and Asia-Pacific regionalism.