The False Promise of Liberal Order: Nostalgia, Delusion and the Rise of Trump

In an age of demagogues, hostile great powers, and trade wars, foreign policy traditionalists dream of restoring the liberal international order. This order, they claim, ushered in seventy years of peace and prosperity and saw post-war America domesticate the world to its values.

The False Promise of Liberal Order

This compelling work exposes the flaws in this nostalgic vision, challenging the notion of an idealized global order. Key insights include:

• The world shaped by America came about as a result of coercion and, at times, brutal compromise.
• Liberal projects aimed at spreading capitalist democracy often led to illiberal results.
• To make peace, America struck bargains with authoritarian forces, revealing the complexities of global diplomacy.

Even during the Pax Americana, often considered the gentlest order, the process of "ordering" was anything but gentle.

The Reality of U.S. Power

As its influence grew, Washington developed a belief in the exceptionalism and permanence of its order. This mindset, however, has contributed to:

• Spiralling deficits
• Permanent war
• The rise of Trump

Romanticizing the liberal order, the book argues, only makes it harder to adjust to today’s global disorder.

A Call to Confront Reality

Only by confronting the false promise of liberal order and adapting to current realities can the United States hope to survive as a constitutional republic in a plural world.

This thought-provoking analysis is a vital read for anyone seeking to understand the challenges of modern foreign policy and the myths surrounding America’s global role.