Two New Reports from the Brzezinski Chair in Global Security and GeostrategyFor the past two years, the Brzezinski Chair in Global Security and Geostrategy has been studying the prospects for new systems of international cooperation that reflect the balance of power in the twenty-first century.

As part of this project, the chair has produced two new reports. The paper Newcomers Bring New Rules analyzes how Great Power competition and a growing Global South have placed new stress on the international system and advocates more inclusive forms of cooperation that incorporate a wider range of state and non-state actors.
In a related multimedia report, Pursuing Global Order in the Twenty-First Century, the authors use UN voting records, economic data, and public remarks to visualize the evolving balance of power and explore the possibilities for adapting U.S. international engagement and reforming multilateral institutions.

The co-authors of both works are Dr. Jon B. Alterman, senior vice president, Zbigniew Brzezinski Chair in Global Security and Geostrategy, and director of the CSIS Middle East Program, and Dr. Lily McElwee, deputy director and fellow of the CSIS Freeman Chair in China Studies.

Newcomers Bring New Rules

In their long-form report, Jon and Lily argue that the United States must develop more flexible and diverse forms of international organization to address rising power parity and Great Power competition. Together, they find that

• Twenty-first century problems will require greater engagement between the Global North and Global South.

• The United States should strategically layer multilateral cooperation between various coalitions and organizations.

• Plurilateral coalitions can enable more flexible, informal, and swift cooperation among global partners.

• Global cooperation must grow to involve corporate, civic, and philanthropic participation and resources.

Read the Report

 

 

Pursuing Global Order in the 21st Century

In their short-form multimedia report, Jon and Lily argue that rising states see the U.S. defense of the current global order as an attempt to preserve decades-old interests at the expense of a growing proportion of the world’s population. Together, they find that:

• Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has revealed growing fragmentation within the United Nations.

• The economic and political influence of non-OECD countries is rapidly expanding.

• While Global South countries share a dissatisfaction with the current system, they do not have a shared alternative.

• Models for alternative forms of cooperation already exist in the form of the I2U2, the Quad, AUKUS, and more.

Read the Report