The Future of the Liberal International Order

Asia, Europe and the United States differ in their views about whether they should “decouple” from authoritarian states like China and Russia and thus defend a core liberal international order, or maintain an order that is “thinner” but universal. With these differences in their views on how to defend the liberal international order and how to respond to the rise of China, the U.S. is encouraged to build coalitions with a more inclusive approach to order-building rather than forcing allies to choose between itself and China. Germany and France aim to prioritize the rule-based order but are reluctant to emphasize democracy as the Biden administration does. Germany puts economic interests first, while France pursues an active military presence in the Pacific and aims to offer an alternative to a choice between China and the U.S. Those countries belonging to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are closer to the German position, while Australia, Japan, and India are becoming closer to the U.S. by prioritizing the trilateral security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States (AUKUS) and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad).