Challenges to the Liberal International Order: Reflections on International Organization, 75th anniversary issue of “International Organization,” Vol. 75, No.2
This special issue of "International Organization" celebrates the journal’s 75th anniversary. Much of the international relations scholarship published in these pages has examined aspects of what has come to be called the “liberal international order.” It grew out of an understanding that the post-war era was characterized by ideas and institutions that privileged rule of law, democracy, human rights, the free movement of goods and capital, the multilateral provision of global public goods, and collective security. In this narrative, this order is largely responsible for the unprecedented economic growth and relative peace among economically developed states in the decades after the war. A central question posed in the volume is whether this conception of international order is being challenged and why. Evidence of rising protectionism, inaction on climate cooperation, democratic backsliding, and growing great power conflict all point to an international order under pressure. David Lake, Lisa Martin, and Thomas Risse serve as guest editors for this issue.