In his first and now second term, President Trump has shaken up the world order—the political architecture enabling cooperation and peace among nations. Especially following his recent tariff announcements, many have feared that both the US-led global economy and world order could be unraveling, leading to global chaos. Social unrest, political polarization, and the rise of other great powers—especially China— have already been threatening the West's dominance since the dawn of the twenty-first century. 

However, in his new book The Once and Future World Order: Why Global Civilization Will Survive the Decline of the West, SIS Distinguished Professor and UNESCO Chair in Transnational Challenges and Governance Amitav Acharya shows how the West has never had a monopoly on order and that its decline could be a good thing for the world.
 
Surveying five thousand years of global history, Acharya reveals that world order existed long before the rise of the West. Moving from ancient Sumer, India, Greece, and Mesoamerica, through medieval caliphates and Eurasian empires into the present, he shows that humanitarian values, economic interdependence, and rules of inter-state conduct emerged across the globe over millennia. History suggests order will endure even as the West retreats. In fact, the end of Western dominance offers us the opportunity to build a better world, where non-Western nations find more voice, power, and prosperity. Instead of fearing the future, Acharya argues that the West should learn from history and cooperate with the Rest to forge a more equitable order.  

• "In this rich tapestry of a book bridging ancient civilizations and modern debates, Amitav Acharya reminds us that the unfolding multipolar, multi-civilizational world order is the historical norm—and should be celebrated as an opportunity for knowledge to spread in all compass directions. An essential guide to the post-Western world.” -Parag Khanna, author of Connectography

• "To get a glimpse of the real future that humanity is heading towards, read this book carefully. It will dazzle and excite you and give you great hope for the future.” -Kishore Mahbubani, author of Living the Asian Century

• "With a lucid, perceptive, and provocative critique of the current global system, Acharya's survey of the past and visualization of the future dynamic between the ‘West’ and the ‘Rest’ is stimulating for all who care about international relations in our globalized world!” -Shashi Tharoor, author of Inglorious Empire

Find more information about The Once and Future World Order .