Developing Countries and the Crisis of the Liberal International Order

Abstract

Recent studies of the liberal international order have tended to use a crisis-laden vocabulary to analyse US withdrawal from multilateral institutions and Chinese initiatives to create new institutions. In these analyses, the consequences of such a crisis for developing countries are largely overlooked because of the greater emphasis that is placed on the role of great powers in the international system. We argue that more attention should be paid to the position of developing countries in the liberal international order and that the effects of the presumed crisis for those countries should be studied. The articles in this thematic issue focus on a variety of topics related to the places occupied by developing countries in the international order.

Civil War between the Ethiopian Government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front: A Challenge to Implement the Responsibility to Protect Doctrine

“…However, the UN as an organisation and liberal institutionalism as an approach to global peace and security, are facing serious challenges and limited success. Such challenges are spilling over and affecting the implementation of other international norms and laws (Meunier and Vachudova, 2018;Hout and Onderco, 2022).…”

The Rumours of the Crisis of Liberal Interventionism Are Greatly Exaggerated

“…The unified and forceful response of the West can be seen as a manifestation of the strong adherence to the core characteristics of the liberal international order among EU and NATO members. The liberal international order is characterized by its support of a rules-based order and its multilateral nature with openness, representation and, for some, the promotion of democracy (Hout & Onderco, 2022;Ikenberry, 2020;Lake et al, 2021;Mearsheimer, 2019;Paul, 2021;Ruggie, 1992). This article claims that the reactions of the West not only reflected adherence to the liberal international order.…”