Eleventh Global Studies Conference

Abstract

The topic of this paper is the narrative. which the Russian and Chinese political elites have developed in order to justify their ambitions as powerful states in the international liberal order. The theoretical framework is based on the logic of constructivism (Koslowski and Kratochwill, 1994; Hopf 1998; Wendt 1999; March and Olsen, 2009; Bevir et al. 2013), which considers ideational factors, such as identities and perceptions for explaining the relations between states and primarily with foreign policies. The research discusses the period since the 2000s, when the spread of terrorism and the financial crisis have contributed to a loss of confidence among Western powers, which until recently acted as guarantors of the international liberal order. These events have accelerated the hegemonic transition’s (Hopf 2018) process, revealing an unsustainable imbalance between Western powers and China and Russia. The crisis of the liberal international order allows for theories that analyse the emergence of a “Pluralist order” (Buzan 2014) promoted by Russia and China, which are increasingly present on the international scene and claim to participate as equals at the great powers’ table. The research raises an important question as to how China and Russia can be more involved in decision-making processes of global governance. It also regards the possibility to overcome the inability of the international community to engage equitably with non-Western powers, mainly Russia and China, that do not want to see their role on the international scene undermined.