The rise of ...
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These patterns of exchange vary greatly: they can be sparse (limited to diplomatic protocols) or intensive (involving high levels of trade, shared legal codes, common security arrangements, extensive cultural exchanges, and more); hierarchical (as in empires) or purportedly ‘egalitarian’ (as in the contemporary states system); formal (as in the constitutional structure of the European Union) or informal (as in the notion of a ‘sphere of influence’).
International orders have existed ever since political units began to interact with each other on a regular basis, whether through trade, diplomacy, or the exchange of ideas. In this sense, world history has seen a great many regional international orders. However, it is only over the past two centuries or so that we can speak of a distinctly modern international order in the sense of the construction of a global economy, a global system of states, and the global circulation of ideas.
One of the most noteworthy aspects of the contemporary international order is the dominance of ‘Western’ ideas and institutions. ‘The West’ is usually taken to mean Europe (with particular emphasis on the northern and western parts of the continent) and the Americas (with particular emphasis on the United States). The West looms large in the functioning of the global political economy—just think of the importance of London and New York as financial centers.
The West is also central to global governance—the main home of the United Nations (UN) is in New York, while both the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are headquartered in Washington, DC. Western ideas (such as human rights) and Western culture (particularly music) are well known around the world.
But why is this the case? Some people argue that Western power has arisen because of its innate strengths: liberal ideas, democratic practices, and free markets (Landes 1998). These people tend to see Western power as both natural and enduring. Others see Western domination as rooted in specific historical circumstances, many of them the product of practices of colonial exploitation and subjugation. For these people, Western power in the contemporary world is unusual and likely to be temporary.
It is important to note two preliminary points. First, the ‘rise of the West’ has occurred only relatively recently: over the past two or three centuries. Second, many aspects of its rise can be traced to international processes, such as imperialism and the global expansion of capitalism. These international dynamics allowed a small number of mostly Western states to project their power around the world.
As they did so, they generated a range of new actors that subsequently became leading participants in international affairs: nation-states, transnational corporations, and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations (IGOs and NGOs). They also helped to bind the globe together through new forms of transport (such as the steamship) and technologies (such as the telegraph).
Although the world continues to be based largely on Western terms, this is changing. The ‘modernizing mission’ first undertaken by nineteenth-century Japan has now been undertaken in various forms by many of the world’s states. Understanding how we got here is crucial to assessing both the shape of contemporary international order and the challenges it faces.
First published in The Globalization of World Politics, in the United States of America by
Oxford University Press.