Dilemmas and Pathways of Liberal International Order - Liberal Leviathan: The Origins, Crisis, and Transformation of the American World Order - page 196

Seven
Dilemmas and Pathways of Liberal International Order
The American liberal hegemonic order established in the post-World War II decades has
reached a turning point. Underlying shifts within the system—in power, sovereignty, the
sources of security, and the scale and scope of interdependence—have eroded the stability of
the order and the authority of the United States as hegemonic leader. The bargains and insti-
tutions of the old order are under stress. This liberal hegemonic order was created inside the
West during the period of Cold War bipolarity. Surprisingly, this order survived the end of
the Cold War and spread outward. The inside liberal order of the bipolar Cold War decades
became the outside order—the organizing logic for the entire global system. But, as we have
seen, the triumph of this American-led system was also its slow undoing.
Amidst these transformations, the Bush administration stepped forward with a new vision
of American-led order. It was a unipolar order in which the United States would stand above
other states—less encumbered by rules and institutions—to provide security and guide the sys-
tem. It was a logic of order that was more imperial than liberal. And, ultimately, this post-
Westphalian vision of American-led order was unacceptable, even to close allies and partners,
and unsustainable.
So what comes next? The answer hinges on how deep the crisis of the American-led system
is. Is the failure of the Bush vision of a unipolar security order also a failure, more generally,
of the basic organizational logic of American-led liberal hegemony? And if it is, is the fail-
ure of American-led liberal hegemony also a sign of a deeper crisis of liberal international or-
der itself? The argument advanced here is that the American-led liberal hegemonic order has
reached an impasse. It is a crisis of authority within the liberal international order, but it is
not a crisis of liberal international order itself. The character of hierarchy and rule within the