Chaos reconsidered : the liberal order and the future of international politics

What does the future hold for the international order? In __Chaos Reconsidered__, leading scholars assess the domestic and global effects of the Trump and Biden presidencies. "In this collection, thirty top scholars in international politics ask: did Trump weaken the liberal international order, or did he simply expose problems that were always lying beneath the surface? Did he ruin the U.S. reputation by treating politics as a zero-sum game, or did he simply confirm foreign suspicions that the American-led order was always a façade for American power? And, will the Trump presidency have lasting consequences for international politics, or will we remember it as a bizarre and temporary detour? The essays explore these crucial theoretical questions about the liberal international order as well as the impact of major world events, including the rise of global movements for women's rights, racial justice, and environmental protection, and a global pandemic that put international cooperation under tremendous strain. Contributors also explore the prospects for the new Biden administration, looking at what diplomatic history and international relations theory tell us about the future of the U.S. in the world, and what tools and insights can the security studies community provide to make sense of this evolving situation. What assumptions about a range of topics - including alliances, multilateralism, nuclear policy, regional dynamics, international law, civil-military affairs, escalation, human rights, and globalization - demand attention in the aftermath of the 2020 election? This book does not provide mere instant analyses of the 2020 election; instead, it seeks to put the Trump presidency in historical and theoretical context and to chart out the possibilities for what comes next"-- Provided by publisher The shock of Donald Trump's election caused many observers to ask whether the liberal international order—the system of institutions and norms established after World War II—was coming to an end. The victory of Joe Biden, a committed institutionalist, suggested that the liberal order would endure. Even so, important questions remained: Was Trump an aberration? Is Biden struggling in vain against irreparable changes in international politics? What does the future hold for the international order? The essays in Chaos Reconsidered answer those questions. Leading scholars assess the domestic and global effects of the Trump and Biden presidencies. The historians put the Trump years and Biden's victory in historical context. Regional specialists evaluate U.S. diplomacy in Asia, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. Others foreground topics such as global right-wing populism, the COVID-19 pandemic, racial inequality, and environmental degradation. International relations theorists reconsider the nature of international politics, pointing to deficiencies in traditional IR methods for explaining world events and Trump's presidency in particular. Together, these experts provide a comprehensive analysis of the state of U.S. alliances and partnerships, the durability of the liberal international order, the standing and reputation of the United States as a global leader, the implications of China's assertiveness and Russia's aggression, and the prospects for the Biden administration and its successors. The shock of Donald Trump's election caused many observers to askwhether the liberal international order-the system of institutionsand norms established after World War II-was coming to an end. Thevictory of Joe Biden, a committed institutionalist, suggested thatthe liberal order would endure. Even so, important questionsremained: Was Trump an aberration? Is Biden struggling in vainagainst irreparable changes in international politics? What doesthe future hold for the international order? The essays inChaos Reconsidered answer those questions. Leadingscholars assess the domestic and global effects of the Trump andBiden presidencies. The historians put the Trump years and Biden'svictory in historical context. Regional specialists evaluate U.S.diplomacy in Asia, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and LatinAmerica. Others foreground topics such as global right-wingpopulism, the COVID-19 pandemic, racial inequality, andenvironmental degradation. International relations theoristsreconsider the nature of international politics, pointing todeficiencies in traditional IR methods for explaining world eventsand Trump's presidency in particular. Together, these expertsprovide a comprehensive analysis of the state of U.S. alliances andpartnerships, the durability of the liberal international order,the standing and reputation of the United States as a globalleader, the implications of China's assertiveness and Russia'saggression, and the prospects for the Biden administration and itssuccessors