A New Global Order?
| Published date | 01 March 2022 |
| Author | Peter Geoghegan |
| Date | 01 March 2022 |
| DOI | 10.1177/20419058221091628 |
APRIL 2022 • POLITICAL INSIGHT 3
A New
Global Order?
‘There are decades where
nothing happens,’ Lenin
famously said, ‘and there are
weeks where decades happen.’
This issue of
Political Insight
went to
press on the cusp of one such historic
period as another Russian leader – Vladimir
Putin – ordered his troops to invade
neighbouring Ukraine, redrawing the
political map of Europe.
In this issue’s cover feature, James D.
Boys analyses President Joe Biden’s foreign
policy during his first year in office –
including his attempts to dissuade Putin
from launching military action against
Ukraine. Biden, he writes, has had more
failures than successes in foreign policy
since entering the White House.
Writing shortly before the Russian
invasion, Ukraine expert Ursula Woolley
reflected on the challenges that Ukraine
has faced, both in recent years and
historically. In a powerfully prescient piece,
she argues that modern Ukraine has found
itself as a prime target for Putin’s neo-
imperialist agenda.
The fall-out of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
is likely to be felt for years to come. At the
same time, the world faces numerous other
crises, from the continuing aftershock of
the COVID pandemic to the sharply rising
cost of living.
Foremost among these crises is, of
course, the climate emergency. In the last
issue of
Political Insigh
t of 2021, we looked
ahead to the COP26 conference in Glasgow
– an event seen by many as a final chance
to halt the climate crisis.
So, did November’s COP26 conference
deliver? Looking back at Glasgow, Robyn
Eckersley finds some minor positive
developments but overall few reasons to
believe that major global leaders are willing
to do what is necessary to stymie the
march of manmade climate change.
The United States remains the biggest
carbon emitter in history. President Biden
came into the White House promising
sweeping changes to tackle climate change
but, as Elizabeth Bomberg explains, has
instead found himself battling institutional
inertia and the limits of presidential power.
Biden has faced significant pressure
from vested interests to roll back on
environmental promises. Some of his
Democratic colleagues are captured by
extractive industries, relying on donations
from oil, gas and coal companies to fund
their political campaigns.
But, on the other side of the aisle, the
President faces a Republican Party that
appears increasingly in hock to its extreme
wing. From QAnon to the ‘Big Lie’, US
politics has become increasingly unmoored
from reality. Bill Jones traces this growing
authoritarianism – and asks if the US could
be on the verge of a second civil war.
Back in the UK, recent months have
been tough for Boris Johnson. Widely seen
as the leader who could transform the
Conservatives’ electoral appeal and cement
a long Tory hegemony, the Prime Minister
has instead been embroiled in a series of
scandals, mostly of his own making.
As the official investigations into Boris
Johnson’s Downing Street mount up – and
support for Keir Starmer’s Labour Party
steadily rises in the polls – Richard Hayton
finds that Johnson’s time in office has left
the Tories facing existential questions about
the party’s direction – and even its future.
Johnson’s supporters often point to
the ‘stonking’ victory he won in the 2019
General Election as evidence of his winning
abilities. But, as Robert Ford, Tim Bale, Will
Jennings and Paula Surridge argue in a
piece analysing the last British General
Election, the popular narrative of Johnson’s
unique appeal to new Conservative voters
is more complicated than often assumed.
Elsewhere, Kevin Hickson and Ben
Williams celebrate the 80th anniversary
of the Beveridge Report by tracing the
modern history of a foundational moment
in Britain’s welfare state. In the Last Word
slot, Sam Fowles argues that there is only
one way to rebuild trust in politics – by
curbing the role of money within it.
Looking beyond these shores, Benjamin
D. Hennig maps the global COVID
vaccination roll-out and analyses the
politics behind the stark differences in
vaccination rates around the world.
Ahead of crunch elections in May,
Marija Taflaga explores how Australia’s
strict response to the COVID pandemic
has exposed tensions between state
and federal governments, and left Prime
Minister Scott Morrison’s future in the
balance.
The impact of recent weeks could shape
decades to come. Whatever happens,
Political Insight
will be there, bringing you
expert research, analysis and commentary
on the issues that matter.
Peter Geoghegan
Editor
Political Insight April 2022 BU.indd 3Political Insight April 2022 BU.indd 3 01/03/2022 10:2701/03/2022 10:27
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