National perspectives on a multipolar order: Interrogating the global power transition - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 152619564X ISBN 13: 9781526195647

Publisher: Manchester University Press, 2026

Synopsis

The global distribution of power is changing. But how should we make sense of this moment of transition?

With the rise of new powers and the decline of seemingly unchallenged US dominance in world politics, a conventional wisdom is gaining ground that a new multipolar order is taking shape. Yet multipolarity – an order with multiple centres of power – is variously used as a description of the current distribution of power, of the likely shape of a future global order, or even as a prescription for how power ‘should’ be distributed in the international system.

To understand the power of the different – and sometimes competing – narratives on offer today about the changing global order, a global perspective is necessary. This book explores how the concept of a multipolar order is being used for different purposes in different national contexts. From rising powers to established powers, contemporary debates are analysed by a set of leading scholars to provide in-depth insight into the use and abuse of a widely employed but rarely explored concept.

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About this title

About the Author

Benjamin Zala is Research Fellow in the Department of International Relations, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, Australian National University -- .

From the Back Cover

The global distribution of power is changing. But how should we make sense of this moment of transition?

With the rise of new powers and the decline of seemingly unchallenged US dominance in world politics, a conventional wisdom is gaining ground that a new multipolar order is taking shape. Yet multipolarity - an order with multiple centres of power - is variously used as a description of the current distribution of power, of the likely shape of a future global order, or even as a prescription for how power 'should' be distributed in the international system.

To understand the power of the different - and sometimes competing - narratives on offer today about the changing global order, a global perspective is necessary. This book explores how the concept of a multipolar order is being used for different purposes in different national contexts. From rising powers to established powers, contemporary debates are analysed by a set of leading scholars to provide in-depth insight into the use and abuse of a widely employed but rarely explored concept.

Edition details

• Publisher: Manchester University Press
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 152619564X
• ISBN 13: 9781526195647
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 232
• Editor: Zala Benjamin