Liberal Leviathan
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Liberal Leviathan

The Origins, Crisis, and Transformation of the American World Order

G. John Ikenberry
Princeton UP, 2011
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Analytical
  • Innovative
  • Well Structured

Recommendation

It’s good to be king, but, these days, it’s tough to be number one. The US, which created an unprecedented global political system out of the ashes of World War II, suddenly found that its previously unassailable position became assailable after all with the advent of President George W. Bush’s administration. G. John Ikenberry, a Princeton professor, has conducted a painstaking analysis of this moment of crossroads and crisis. He explains that the world rejected Bush’s imperious methods because America had created a global order that relies on consensual rules. Ikenberry’s depth of insight is perhaps clearest by the end of his book. He lays out each chapter like a formal academic paper (introduction, argument and conclusion), repeats salient points, and sticks to an unfortunately dry, flightless literary style. Nevertheless, this is a penetrating rumination on today’s remarkable unipolar world. While always politically neutral, getAbstract recommends this thoughtful exegesis to political scientists, economists, academics, politicians and interested citizens who argue for and against America’s continued leadership.

Summary

The American Order, Besieged

Since World War II, the US has been the organizer and guarantor of the liberal democratic political system that now dominates the world. Under this remarkably successful, stable world order, cooperative, rule-based institutions and progressive Western ideas remade old antagonisms and outlasted the Cold War. President George W. Bush’s administration sorely tested this system when it tried to redefine the US-led order in imperial rather than democratic terms. Although that recalibration proved unpopular and unsuccessful, it did raise questions about the system’s merits: Is America in decline? Is “multipolarity” – a system of rival political hegemonies – on the rebound, with China soon to lead a different global structure? Perhaps, but it seems that questions center on how to run the current system, not on whether any fragility exists with its structure. Nonetheless, a resetting of the negotiating table is underway, adding new actors to redefine the economic and political order that toppled communism and invested in the growth of nations.

How the World Was Won

International power upholds order through three basic mechanisms:

About the Author

G. John Ikenberry, a professor of politics and international affairs at Princeton, also wrote After Victory: Institutions, Strategic Restraint, and the Rebuilding of Order After Major Wars.

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