The hottest International Order Substack posts right now

Widespread misconduct among powerful people exposes deep hypocrisy and blurs the moral and political lines that were supposed to hold institutions together.
Buzzwords like "polycrisis" or "rupture" understate the problem — the moment feels more like a sudden, disorienting collapse driven by personal and motivational breakdowns among elites.
Calls for rational, rules‑based fixes sound hollow unless we confront the underlying psychological and ethical rot; rebuilding trust will be slow and require honest, therapeutic reckoning, not just policy tweaks.

People are openly questioning whether the United States still leads the global order, which suggests American dominance may be weakening.
Public disputes among Western allies reveal real fractures in their relationships, not just routine policy differences.
This feels like a rupture rather than a smooth power shift, leaving the future of Western unity and the rules-based world order uncertain.

The Trump administration is pushing to dismantle the post–World War II international order and replace it with a great‑power, transactional system that privileges elites over multilateral cooperation.
Senior administration officials have amplified Great Replacement and anti‑immigrant rhetoric and attacked trade, international institutions, and climate policy while cozying up to autocrats like Orbán and Putin.
European leaders and U.S. Democrats strongly pushed back at Munich, defending democracy, multilateral trade and climate cooperation, and urging a foreign policy that delivers economic benefits for working‑class people.

The 'Rules-Based International Order' enabled violence and conflict in various regions like Gaza, Yemen, and Ukraine.
This order allowed for deceptive military actions, regime changes, and destabilization in countries like Syria, Libya, and Iraq.
The 'Rules-Based International Order' led to the suppression of journalism, civilian casualties, and the dominance of powerful interests over ordinary people.

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A weekly, open 'Symposium' will replace the strict Middle East course model, offering a new global topic each week with shorter required readings so subscribers can drop in when a topic interests them.
An optional expository writing module will follow the discussion, is cumulative, and asks participants to commit to attending regularly so writing feedback can build over time.
The inaugural session asks whether the liberal international order has collapsed, features Terry Glavin as guest, and comes with an extensive curated reading list, speeches, debates, and study questions to guide the conversation.

Yan Xuetong warns Chinese businesses about the impact of deglobalization.
US-China relations are worse today than in 1978.
Chinese firms should adjust their strategies for a more challenging global environment.

Democracies need to unite against military aggression
International order must be inclusive, not just for the west
The west needs to pay attention to challenges of poorer nations in the global south

The inaugural Cosmopolitan Globalist Symposium starts in about two hours and will begin exactly on time at 4:30 pm Paris time, so plan to arrive a minute early.
Zoom details are provided but some information sits behind a paywall. If you haven’t finished the reading, tell the host in the Zoom chat so you don’t get called on.
The conversation will probe whether the liberal world order is weakening and aims to revive cordial, intelligent discussion, with full access available to subscribers while a free post is offered.

On January 22, 2026, a conversation on "Judging Freedom" focused on events at Davos and in Greenland.
That conversation introduced key elements of a template for understanding Trump's foreign policy.
The template is meant to help make sense of Trump's actions on the world stage by applying it to events like Davos and Greenland.

Unconditional calls for peace may backfire, as sometimes showing resolve to fight is essential for achieving peace in international conflicts.
Ignoring small acts of aggression can embolden aggressors, emphasizing the importance of drawing clear red lines and upholding them to deter further escalation.
The invasion of Ukraine goes beyond borders, challenging the global order; supporting Ukraine is not just about the country itself but defending the principles of the international system.