At the beginning of the 21st century the world stood on the cusp of what most experts assumed would be a golden age of international peace and prosperity guaranteed by American power and underwritten by an ever-expanding world market dominated by the West.  

But 9/11, the following US military interventions, and the financial crisis of 2008 followed, leaving the United States in decline, Europe in crisis, and the balance of power rapidly shifting eastwards towards Asia and China and southwards towards the ‘Global South’.   

More recently, the challenges posed by populism in the West, a more assertive China and Russia led by Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin respectively, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, conflicts in the Middle East, and the impact of COVID-19 and climate change made the international system a less peaceful and stable place. Some even wonder whether the Liberal international order itself is now under threat, challenged by an expanding BRICS group.  

But how have all these major changes come about? Is the West in decline and what are the main emerging powers? And are we heading toward a new world order or even great power conflict? These are at least some of the big questions we will be seeking to answer in this course.