The first half of the twenty-first century was marked by two major trends in international relations: first, a shift towards ‘globalism’ as a result of shared problems (e.g. environmental degradation), shared risks (e.g. nuclear proliferation), and shared domains of activity (e.g. the market); and second, a shift to ‘decentred’ authority as power diffused around the world both geographically and institutionally. The resulting synthesis, ‘decentred globalism’, made international affairs much messier, but also more pluralistic, more democratic and, in policy terms, more humble. The post-Western world proved to be one in which heterogeneity and hybridity flourished. 

Author: George Lawson