Concert or Cacophony? In Search of a New International Order. Report on the Trilateral Practitioners Workshop “Creative Destruction: Toward an Effective International System”, Berlin, July 7-8, 2011

Glosserman, Brad and Walkenhorst, Peter and Xu, Ting (2011) Concert or Cacophony? In Search of a New International Order. Report on the Trilateral Practitioners Workshop “Creative Destruction: Toward an Effective International System”, Berlin, July 7-8, 2011. UNSPECIFIED.

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Abstract

The global order has been in flux since the end of the Cold War. Two fundamental trends are reshaping the international system: Power shifts at the global level are creating a more diverse international order, in which emerging and resurgent players pursue and assert their own interests. While it is not clear whether Western economic, political, and cultural dominance is coming to an end, there is no mistaking the world’s growing pluralism. At the same time, the emerging international concert – or cacophony – is characterized by deepening interdependence. All major (and minor) powers are facing challenges of economic growth, energy security, and environmental sustainability, all of which are intimately interconnected and which no nation can successfully confront on its own. Moreover, the pace at which change is occurring is accelerating, requiring decision makers to move faster at the very time that problems are becoming more complex. This creates a fundamental dilemma as managing this interdependence through multilateral cooperation demands enlightened self-interest when established means of interaction are being undermined. Thus, the interaction of shifting power and increasing interdependence is transforming global politics, pushing it towards an unprecedented configuration of international relations.

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