Big Ideas Who killed the liberal international order (and what comes next)?
Oct 14, 2025
Andrew Phillips, a Professor at the University of Queensland and author of several influential books, discusses the decline of the liberal international order. He highlights the rise in global conflict and power rivalries, arguing that democracy is on the retreat. Phillips evaluates the roles of authoritarian powers like China and Russia, as well as the impact of U.S. policies under Trump. He predicts that the 1990s model won’t be revived and explores potential futures for international relations, including a Chinese-centric order or a pluralistic approach driven by emerging democracies.
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Orders Need Power And Purpose
- International orders rest on both material power and a shared political purpose that gives rules meaning.
- Power alone cannot sustain cooperation; legitimacy and institutions matter too.
The Liberal Trinity Defined
- Liberalism bundles three core ideas: democratic self‑determination, market capitalism, and law-based conflict resolution.
- These ideas shaped post‑1945 institutions and the later 'premium edition' after the Cold War.
Concrete Achievements Of The Order
- The post‑1945 order reduced great‑power conquest, limited nuclear proliferation, and drove massive global wealth growth.
- Democracy expanded dramatically from about a dozen liberal democracies in 1945 to roughly 90 by the early 2000s.
