Globalisation and the international system
Abstract
The study examines the historical and theoretical relationship between globalisation and the international system. It starts from the premise that the gradual expansion of links among regional systems has produced a global international system in which the political, economic and security interactions of sovereign states have become increasingly dense. The study reviews the principal arguments of political realism and liberalism, as well as neorealism and neoliberal institutionalism, with particular attention to the balance of power, anarchy, interdependence, international institutions and security. It also presents the so-called English School’s concepts of the international system, international society and world society, and considers the contribution of democracy, economic interdependence and international institutions to peace. The study then outlines four possible scenarios for the future of the international order: 1. a strengthened liberal international order, 2. a new bipolar system, 3. a multiplex world and 4. an era without polarity. It concludes that globalisation and the liberal international order are reinforcing each other. Consequently, a reversal of globalisation may increase the risks of international conflict and instability. The analysis therefore highlights the importance of states’ interaction capacities and of international institutions in shaping the evolution of the global international system.
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