Introduction

This introductory chapter aims to set the context of discussion of the book. It argues that the United Kingdom’s (U.K.) controversial decision to leave the European Union (E.U.) (Brexit) and Donald Trump’s ‘America First’ victory for the United States (U.S.) presidency since 2016 signalled the fracturing of the liberal world order that the two Anglo-American powers have maintained since the Second World War. Such fracturing was however exacerbated by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020, which caused the highest infection numbers and death tolls, economic recession and unemployment, public health meltdown, inter-racial conflicts and riotous violence across the U.S. and to a lesser extent, in the U.K. and Europe.

Against such global fracturing backdrop, I ask what Christian witnesses could contribute to the current unfolding of a new multi-polar world order. I argue that the ancient spirit of realism has now found populism as both the means and ends to short-circuit thus expose the true face of liberal democracy. As China’s capability in successfully containing COVID-19 and economic development which reflects the Chinese political model’s merits, I engage with selected Global South scholars who proposed to explore alternative models of international relations and globalisation. By initially sketching an alternative framework of Christian prophetic witnessing, I will invite the readers to ponder with me about the future of Christian statecraft in the midst of the West’s decline.