Abstract

Both the international political system and the structures of global capitalism are in a state of flux and uncertainty. There is a strong argument that we are witnessing the most powerful set of challenges yet to the global order that the US sought to construct within its own camp during the Cold War and to globalize in the post-Cold War period. The international system is increasingly characterized by a diffusion of power, including to emerging and regional powers; by a diffusion of preferences with many more voices demanding to be heard; and by a diffusion of ideas and values, with a reopening of the big questions of social, economic and political organization that were supposedly brought to an end with the end of the Cold War and the liberal ascendancy. What are the implications of these changes for the character of international society and the possibilities of global order? How does the rise of new powers affect the way that we think about global justice and about the relationship between order and justice?