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With the United States superpower status rivalled by a rising China and emerging powers like India and Brazil playing a growing role in international affairs, the global balance of power is shifting. But what does this mean for the future of the international order? Will China dominate the 21st Century? Will the so-called BRICS prove to be a disruptive force in global affairs? Are we headed towards a world marked by frequent strife, or will the end of Western dominance make the world more peaceful? In this provocative new book, Oliver Stuenkel argues that our understanding of global order and predictions about its future are limited because we seek to imagine the post-Western world from a parochial Western-centric perspective. Such a view is increasingly inadequate in a world where a billions of people regard Western rule as a temporary aberration, and the rise of Asia as a return to normalcy. In reality, China and other rising powers that elude the simplistic extremes of either confronting or joining existing order are quietly building a “parallel order” which complements today s international institutions and increases rising powers’ autonomy. Combining accessibility with expert sensitivity to the complexities of the global shift of power, Stuenkel s vision of a post-Western world will be core reading for students and scholars of contemporary international affairs, as well as anyone interested in the future of global politics.
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A fascinating interpretation of our understanding of politics and global affairs, which demonstrates the evolving nature of power today. Oliver Stuenkel presents a compelling argument – not just about the “Rise of the Rest” – but also the overlooked power and influence of the non-Western world. Highly engaging and instructive.
Dr Shashi Tharoor, former Minister of State for External Affairs of India
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Oliver Stuenkel is one of the best new voices in the field of international politics. In Post-Western World, he discusses – in a piercing manner – the primary challenges of the global order and critiques the parochial, Eurocentric vision which conforms to international power structures. Not only is his writing essential reading for academics, but also for policy-makers who seek to understand the dynamics of, and build, a multipolar world order, reflecting the aspirations of developing countries.
Celso Amorim, former Minister of External Relations and Minister of Defence of Brazil
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“This book is a critical venture, giving both voice and agency to the world-views of ‘non-western powers… Stuenkel presents a necessary counterargument to the dominant literature.”
Tanvi Pate, International Affairs
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“Stuenkel pokes holes in [Western-centric] accounts, showing that concepts such as religious freedom, human rights, and sovereignty have never been exclusively Western inventions; they were hammered out over centuries with contributions from African, Asian, and Middle Eastern societies.”
G. John Ikenberry, Foreign Affairs
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“Stuenkel is persuasive in arguing that Beijing cares chiefly about political stability at home and economic access abroad, and not about promoting its authoritarian political model to the rest of the world. Nor do China’s leaders seek, as some have suggested, to expel the United States from Asia, or to “rule the world.”
Andrew J. Nathan, New York Review of Books (NYRB)
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“Stuenkel warns that West’s analysts and policymakers who maintain a Western-centric worldview might well be losing sight of, and misunderstanding, what the coming multipolar world is bringing: not violence or danger, but, in Stuenkel’s view, a more democratic and effective world system to tackle global challenges.”
Tamahi Kato, Institute of Development Studies (IDS) blog
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“This book is particularly important given the current situation in world politics.”
Anna Nadibaidze, Russia Direct
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“Oliver Stuenkel’s book Post-Western World helps mitigate excessive pessimism.”
Timo R. Stewart, Finnish Journal of Foreign Affairs
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“This book undoubtedly expands horizons of thinking about world order.”
Justyna Zając, Stosunki Międzynarodowe – International Relations
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“Stuenkel argues that conventional understandings of international order and global change are distorted by deep-seated, Western-centric biases, revealed in narratives that cast Westerners as the sole agents of modernity and the only carriers of progressive ideas.”
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“This book is accessibly written, makes an important corrective for problematically Western-centric readings of world order trends.”
Aaron McKeil, The Beyond Babel Project
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“The author’s vision of the eventual international relations future is of multipolarity, economically and even militarily; inthe medium term, though, he sees an “asymmetric bipolarity” with the US remain-ing dominant militarily and, less certainly, in soft power, and China with the larger economy.”
Geoffrey McNicoll, Population and Development Review
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“Un oportuno análisis de las razones y las manifestaciones de un orden en transformación, cuyo efecto es el tránsito hacia una multipolaridad posoccidental merced al ascenso de las potencias emergentes.”
Zirahuén Villamar, Foreign Affairs Latinoamerica
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“Recommendable to understand the changing nature of power on the international stage.”
Antonio R. Rubio Plo, Royal Elcano Institute
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“Oliver Stuenkel introduces some innovative arguments regarding the future of world politics from a quite uncommon perspective for Western mainstream analyses. (…) A valuable and appreciable tool to understand the perception that the non-Western world has of itself and of the West, and, particularly, a useful guide for the West to not overestimate itself and underestimate the rest.”
Paolo Pizzolo and Manfredi Valeriani, Global Policy
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“An important contribution to the emerging literature on post-western International Relations. (…)This book will be of great interest to students, researchers and policymakers of IR, looking to develop a more nuanced and critical understanding of the emerging world order.”
Manish Kumar, Political Studies Review
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“Without a doubt,’Post-Western World’, by Oliver Stuenkel, generates thought-provoking insights not only about the current configuration of the world order, but also about the traits that it could have in the future.”
Augusto Leal Rinaldi, Brazilian Political Science Review
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Read also:
Brazil’s top 10 foreign policy challenges in 2016
How Brazil’s Crisis Is Bleeding into the Rest of South America (Americas Quarterly)
