Navigating a Multiplex World Order
People
Drawing on his award-winning book, Divergent Worlds, co-authored with Amitav Acharya, Manjeet Pardesi introduces the concept of a "multiplex world order". Unlike traditional hegemonic or multipolar systems, a multiplex order is defined by its complexity, where non-great powers exercise significant agency and order is shaped by both material power and diverse ideas.
The discussion delves into how history can provide a roadmap for our uncertain future. Pardesi contrasts the ancient Mediterranean, a paradigmatic case of hegemonic order under Rome, with the ancient Indian Ocean, which flourished as a non-hegemonic, pluralistic trading system.
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Key highlights of the episode include:
- The Rise of India: An analysis of India’s grand strategy, its "status anxiety" regarding China, and its quest to recover its historical standing as a global power.
- Southeast Asia as pluralistic order: Pardesi points to Southeast Asia as an example of a pluralistic regional order today, with no single center. As he states: "The region is a mix of democracies and non-democracies that engage with each other. It is a plural world that seems viable despite having no core".
- The Power of Small States: How countries like Norway and New Zealand can act as "connector states," spearheading high-quality trade agreements and navigating complex international identities.
- Variable Geometry: Understanding the "messiness" of modern international relations and why a decentered, pluralistic world might actually be a good thing.
Join us for a deep dive into global history and contemporary geopolitics to understand how the world is being reshaped beyond the Western-dominated era.
The World Stage is a global politics podcast from the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI). This episode is produced in collaboration with the Norwegian Center for Geopolitics.