Order and Disorder in World Politics G. John Ikenberry

Abstract

We live in an age of disorder. This essay explores the various ways in which disorder has played out in global politics. I begin by defining what scholars mean by global or international order. After this, I look at the various features of disorder – its types, its causes, and its consequences. I argue that not all disorder is unwelcome. Disorder can generate both positive and negative life experiences. It can variously undermine or advance the human condition. I argue that modern industrial societies are actually premised on the expectation of ongoing disorder, as revolutions and advances in science and technology destabilize societies and force people to adjust, often with the promise of greater economic and societal benefits. I argue that the most farreaching forms of disorder have occurred in the aftermath of major wars – the Napoleonic war, the world wars, and the Cold War. This is disorder that is the result of powerful states engaged in violent efforts to overturn world order and redirect the pathway of modernity. Finally, I end by looking at features of the current global order that provide sources of stability and resiliency, doing so in the face of the great and growing storms of the 21st century.