Challengers to the Western-Led International Order

Abstract

The rise of new powers and shifting global dynamics have prompted fundamental questions about the future of international order. As Western commitment to multilateral institutions appears to waver and alternative centers of influence emerge, debates intensify over whether rising powers are building rival orders, reforming existing ones, or pursuing strategies that resist simple categorization. This panel examines how emerging powers engage with the institutional architecture of the Western-led international order. Is there evidence of systematic challenge and alternative institution building, or do patterns reveal more complex strategies of selective participation, reform, and adaptation? Under what conditions do rising and established powers cooperate within existing institutions, and when do they pursue alternative arrangements? How do technological change, economic competition, and normative contestation shape these dynamics across different domains of global governance? By examining engagement with international order across multiple contexts, the panel contributes to understanding how power shifts reshape global governance. It illuminates the varied strategies through which states navigate existing institutional structures while potentially creating alternatives, and assesses implications for the future of multilateral cooperation in an era of contested authority and fragmented governance.

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