Ethics & International Affairs is pleased to present a Special Issue on "Rising Powers and the International Order," featuring a roundtable organized by G. John Ikenberry and Shiping Tang.
One of the great dramas of world politics across the centuries has been the rise and decline of leading states. The roundtable brings together distinguished international scholars to reflect on the ongoing grand power transition, focusing on the ways that rising states may be shaping and reshaping global order. Each essay investigates the present and future order from the perspective of a different international actor, including China, India, Russia, the EU, and the United States, as well as the BRICS writ large. The collection will be valuable not only to international relations theorists and those who study rising powers but also to anyone concerned about the normative implications of a shifting global order, including scholars of global governance reform, international law, and human rights. Beyond the roundtable, the Spring 2018 Special Issue also contains an essay by Ayelet Shachar on golden visa programs and the marketization of citizenship, a review essay by Gillian Brock on eliminating corruption, and four book reviews.
THE ENTIRE ISSUE IS FREE FOR A LIMITED TIME.
ESSAY The Marketization of Citizenship in an Age of Restrictionism Ayelet Shachar This essay traces the rise of golden visa programs and critically evaluates the legal, normative, and distributional quandaries they raise. Shachar writes that the intrusion of market logic into the sovereign act of defining "who belongs" raises significant justice and equality concerns that require closer scrutiny.
ROUNDTABLE: RISING POWERS AND THE INTERNATIONAL ORDER
Introduction G. John Ikenberry and Shiping Tang, Guest Editors One of the great dramas of world politics across the centuries has been the rise and decline of leading states. This roundtable brings together distinguished international scholars to reflect on this grand power transition, focusing on the ways that rising states may be shaping and reshaping global order.
Why the Liberal World Order Will Survive G. John Ikenberry This essay offers an evolutionary perspective of international order and argues that although America's hegemonic position may be declining, the liberal international characteristics of order—openness, rules, and multilateralism—are deeply rooted and likely to persist.
China and the Future International Order(s) Shiping Tang In this essay, Shiping Tang surveys the key discourse in China on international order, arguing that China sees no need for, and hence does not seek, fundamental transformation but rather piecemeal modification of the existing order.
Russia and the Liberal World Order Anne L. Clunan Anne L. Clunan writes that the question of Russia's desire to change a liberal international order hangs on the type of liberalism embedded in that order. Moreover, despite some calls from within to create a new, post-liberal order premised on conservative nationalism and geopolitics, Russia is unlikely to fare well in such a world.
India and the International Order: Accommodation and Adjustment Deepa M. Ollapally In this essay, Deepa M. Ollapally argues that India's deep-seated anti-colonial nationalism and commitment to strategic autonomy continue to form the core of Indian identity. This, in turn, informs India's partial and instrumental commitment to Western-dominated multilateral institutions and Western norms.
A Post-Western Europe: Strange Identities in a Less Liberal World Order Ole Wæver Ole Wæver writes that Europe's curious position—neither declining hegemon nor rising power—brings to light some intriguing dynamics of the international order. This essay traces the threats and opportunities to Europe presented by the emerging order in four domains: overall power, economics, values, and institutions.
Beyond the BRICS: Power, Pluralism, and the Future of Global Order Andrew Hurrell In this essay, Andrew Hurrell takes a broad look at rising powers as a collective. Dramatic changes in the global system have led many to conclude that the focus on the BRICS reflected a particular moment in time that has now passed. The story line is now about backlash at the core. But this conclusion is profoundly mistaken, and rising powers are as relevant as ever.
REVIEW ESSAY How Should We Combat Corruption? Lessons from Theory and Practice Gillian Brock In this review essay, Gillian Brock surveys four recent books on corruption, all of which offer important insights. If the books share one weakness, it is that they do not sufficiently emphasize the importance of getting people to believe and feel that they have fair opportunities for good lives, even after institutional and legal reforms are made.
REVIEWS Ethics in an Age of Surveillance: Personal Information and Virtual Identities Adam Henschke Review by Kevin Macnish This book presents a philosophically sophisticated examination of metadata collection and the ethical issues that it raises. The field of surveillance has tended until now to be explored only at the applied level, but with this work Henschke pushes the debate back to ontological basics, asking what are data, how do we form perceptions, and what is information?
Selling the Future: The Perils of Predicting Global Politics Ariel Colonomos, trans. Gregory Elliott Review by Colleen Murphy In this book, Ariel Colonomos discusses the details of how the future is forecast in three major domains—academia, think tanks, and credit agencies—and emphasizes the limitations of current practices in each. In doing so, he makes a convincing case for treating the future as a topic of interest in its own right and as subject to certain normative constraints.
The Global Health Crisis: Ethical Responsibilities Thana Cristina de Campos Review by Brigit Toebes In this book, Thana Cristina de Campos focuses on identifying the moral responsibilities of nonstate actors, particularly the pharmaceutical industry, in the field of global health. In developing ethical and philosophical perspectives of the global health crisis, the book makes a welcome contribution to the discussion.
Environmental Success Stories: Solving Major Ecological Problems & Confronting Climate Change Frank M. Dunnivant Review by Steven Vanderheiden Global environmental challenges such as climate change are sometimes viewed as so daunting and complex that we can only aim to mitigate rather than solve the problems they cause. In this book, Frank M. Dunnivant responds with a series of "success stories" designed to instruct on the role of environmental science in policymaking.
