Editors’ Introduction
| DOI | 10.1177/0020702019833568 |
| Date | 01 March 2019 |
| Author | Brian Bow,Jack Cunningham |
| Published date | 01 March 2019 |
| Subject Matter | Editors’ Introduction |
Editors’ Introduction
In an age of Trump, Brexit, and resurgent populism, it has become a commonplace
that the liberal international order is beleaguered and arguably in crisis. In such a
time, what of middle powers? What are the opportunities and constraints facing
them now that the certitudes of the liberal order rest on increasingly shaky ground?
That is the focus of this special issue of International Journal, featuring a col-
lection of articles curated by Rita Abrahamsen, Louise Riis Andersen, and Ole
Sending. An introductory piece by Abrahamsen, Andersen, and Sending defines the
problem and sets the stage for what follows, arguing that if liberal internationalism
has a future it must be reworked to adapt to changed conditions. Then, Jean-
Francois Drolet and Michael Williams explore the paleoconservative tradition
and its influence on the Trump administration, with all that implies for the role
of the United States as linchpin of the liberal international order. Alexandra
Gheciu discusses NATO’s role and the construction of western security under
the new and challenging circumstances we confront. Then, Louise Riis Andersen
explores the prospects of the United Nations as an arena for middle-power liberal
internationalism.
On a related theme, John Karlsrud offers a provocative assessment of UN
peacekeeping, within the context of efforts to steer peacekeeping in the direction
of counterterrorism. Nina Graeger raises the vexing question of how middle powers
can now pursue security and status, contending that traditional approaches based
on cooperation with great powers need to be rethought. David Petrasek turns to
the matter of promoting human rights in an international order that seems less than
hospitable to such concerns, while Peter Jones canvasses the opportunities now
available to Canada, as a middle power with a vocation of trying to broker solu-
tions to intractable conflicts.
In this issue’s Lessons of History piece, Greg Donaghy re-examines Pierre
Trudeau’s engagement with Asia and the Pacific, compelling revision of the stand-
ard accounts of both Canada’s ‘‘Pacific Tilt’’ and the foreign policy of Trudeau
pe
`re. This issue features two Policy Briefs, exploring contemporary international
policy challenges for Canada. In the first, Roland Paris picks up on themes from
the special issue, arguing that Canada’s position as a middle-power internationalist
has been undermined by structural changes to the global order, and that this forces
us to rethink our approach to illiberal states like China. In the second, Christian
Leuprecht, Joel Sokolsky, and Jayson Derow consider Canada’s renewed commit-
ment to NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence and the deterrence of Russian
aggression against Latvia, in the context of concerns about the future of both
International Journal
2019, Vol. 74(1) 3–4
!The Author(s) 2019
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DOI: 10.1177/0020702019833568
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