World order under stress

A Certificate of Attendance is awarded to participants who attended daily lectures for the duration of the course.

This tutor-led, in-person course is 3 days in duration and is made up of 7 sessions for a total of 10.5 contact hours.

Dates: 24-26 January 2025

Summary of content

The world has long been an arena where strong states preyed upon weak ones and war was the habitual way of settling disputes. But, as economic interdependence has grown and war has become more destructive, there have been intensifying efforts to find a less Darwinian, more rules based, way of managing world affairs. These efforts culminated after the end of the Cold War with a global system dominated by the United States and, at least notionally, acting on the basis of multinational agreements, international law and the hope that universal democracy would bring universal peace. That system (which never worked perfectly, as in the Middle East) is now breaking down. Democracy and human rights are on the defensive. Rival powers - notably Russia and China - have begun to challenge US hegemony. Great Power war may be coming back, for example, in Ukraine or Taiwan. And cooperation to tackle overarching global threats such as the nuclear threat is visibly under stress. This course looks at these developments and asks where we may be going. 

Session 1: The evolution of the current world order

Session 2: The better angels of our nature; democracy and human rights

Session 3: Sharing the cage with an angry Bear; Russia

Session 4: The Eastern Dragon revived; China

Session 5: The Middle East: Endless Conflict

Session 6: Armageddon Impending? The Bomb

Session 7: The end of the American Empire?

Learning outcomes

As a result of the course, students will gain a greater understanding of the subject and should be able to:

• understand the big forces driving the evolution of world politics over the next  
  few years  

• place international political developments in context and judge the likely implications for your own nation and community 

• bring an informed understanding of the state of the world to your own public and private involvements