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WorldPolitics6 days ago

After the Liberal Order

The article discusses the decline of the liberal international order, noting that while it aimed to restrain hierarchy through legal frameworks, institutions, and mutual agreements, it has now failed. This failure leaves behind an unmoderated hierarchy, which could lead to increased resentment.

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The Declaration Heard Around the World

Jun 15, 2026

Carla Norrlöf

Although the liberal international order was always hierarchical, it was defensible because it allowed for restraint, negotiation, and benefits extending beyond the inner circle. As that internal moderating project fails, all that will remain is the old hierarchy and whatever resentments it engenders.

KIVIK, SWEDEN—The liberal international order was both more real than its cynics would admit and less liberal than its defenders claimed. Its goal was never to eliminate hierarchy, but rather to restrain it through law, institutions, bargaining, rights, and reciprocity. The current crisis should be understood as a case of hierarchy with weakening restraints.

Read the full article at Project Syndicate →

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Project SyndicateIndependentCenter6 days ago
After the Liberal Order

The article discusses the decline of the liberal international order, noting that while it aimed to restrain hierarchy through legal frameworks, institutions, and mutual agreements, it has now failed. This failure leaves behind an unmoderated hierarchy, which could lead to increased resentment.

Bias read (Center): The article presents a balanced critique of the liberal international order without overtly favoring any particular ideological stance. It acknowledges both the limitations of the order and the consequences of its decline without taking a clear ideological position.