ABSTRACT
Drawing from the previous chapters in this volume, the conclusion synthesises the findings on how key powers envision the future of international order based on our four-dimensional analytical framework of distributional, normative, institutional, and temporal dimensions. Against the backdrop of intensifying strategic competition, the visions reveal a world increasingly fragmented along both material and ideational lines. Emerging powers such as China, India, and Brazil project future-oriented, multipolar visions, while established powers like the United States, the European Union, and Japan defend the remnants of a liberal international order, often based on legitimacy drawn from the past. Civilisational discourses that emphasise national and cultural distinctiveness have become powerful arguments among both the status quo preservers and those challenging it, which further complicates finding common ground on questions of international ordering. Despite deepening rivalries, the enduring recognition of the United Nations as an essential institution suggests that minimal consensus on global governance remains. The chapter concludes by recognising the importance of agency as well as political imagination in navigating the uncertain, crisis-ridden ordering moment of the international system.
