Possible Futures: Pax Sinica or Post‑Western Liberalism

Conflict and great power rivalries are on the rise, democracy is in retreat, and multilateral institutions created to maintain global cooperation appear increasingly toothless. So is the world as we've known it coming to an end? And if so, what will replace it?

This speech was recorded at the University of Queensland on 17 September 2025.

Speaker

Andrew PhillipsProfessor of international relations and strategy with the University of QueenslandAuthor, War, religion and empire: The transformation of international orders, Outsourcing empire: how company-states made the modern world and more