International relations

The Liberal World Order - in Crisis

Module code: 500IR
Level 5
15 credits in spring semester
Teaching method: Lecture
Assessment modes: Essay

Focusing on the post-Cold War era, how did we get from the initial optimistic promise of peace and prosperity, democracy and human rights to the current crisis? What is the nature of the crisis? Since when has the liberal world order been in crisis and for whom? Can a liberal vision of a US-led ‘rules-based order’ re-emerge from under the rubble of Gaza? How do we make sense of liberal states acting benign-liberal domestically, and seemingly illiberal in their foreign relations?

In this module, you will approach the current crisis historically and from a range of different perspectives. You will learn about the past and present relationship between (1) liberalism, capitalism and democracy, and (2) liberalism and war. This includes the seemingly paradoxical histories of core liberal thinkers and political actors promoting individual liberal freedom on the one hand, and (settler) colonialism, chattel slavery and patriarchy on the other hand. We will discuss the extent to which the reproduction and extension of liberal capitalism in the current era continues to involve relations of violence, coercion and constraint.

Module learning outcomes

• Identify the core principles, practices, institutions and actors of the liberal world order, and comprehend their logic of liberalism
• Analyse liberal-internationalist policies
• Establish connections between different liberal policies
• Evaluate a range of explanations for the crisis of the liberal world order, and ultimately provide a reasoned and well-substantiated assessment of the current crisis