The Disorderly Society

The liberal, "rules-based" order faces its greatest crisis since the end of the Cold War. Liberalism is in retreat around the world. Authoritarian regimes have become more numerous and increasingly repressive. International norms are unravelling. Yet there is little sign of a new, post-liberal order. Talk of a global power shift to the East is commonplace, but despite the growing influence of China, a "multipolar" world remains an abstraction. Instead, there is a growing void in global governance – a new world disorder.

Drawing on insights from his ambitious and compelling book, Bobo Lo joins Sir Laurie Bristow for an in-depth conversation on the state of global politics today. Together, they will explore the roots of current geopolitical crises and examine the prospects for a new twenty-first-century global order.

This event offers a rare opportunity to hear from one of the leading thinkers in contemporary geopolitics. It will be of particular interest to anyone engaged with, or interested in, international affairs, global governance, and the future of the international system.

'The Disorderly Society is a compelling and timely account of the failures of statecraft and imagination that have led to the unravelling of international order. Bobo Lo distils a lifetime of studying Great Power rivalry, drawing on his deep expertise in Russia and China, to address uncomfortable truths about the West’s own role in the current state of affairs and to offer thought-provoking recommendations for how to avoid catastrophe.'

Sir Laurie Bristow, President of Hughes Hall, Cambridge and former UK Ambassador to Russia, 2016–20

5.30 pm In Conversation (Pavilion Rm)
6.30 pm Drinks Reception (Atrium)

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Host or Publisher Hughes Hall MCR