An American-led and nominally rules-based “liberal” order that dominated the post-Cold War era faces a broad set of challenges: authoritarian and extra-constitutional actions by leaders; the rise of ethno-nationalist movements; conflicts in the public sphere over history, culture, and education; declining trust in political and media institutions; backlash against older elites and crises of expertise; and social polarization. What emerges from the current crisis of the old order will be influenced by the actions of its former leader, the United States, but also to a large degree by political currents and foreign policies of China and India. New geopolitical alignments, innovations in technology, responses to climate change, new axes of manufacturing networks, infrastructure, financial institutions, and even the future of higher education are being shaped by domestic forces and transnational actors based in India and especially China. 

A “post-liberal” world brings substantial risks as well as potential new channels to address contemporary crises in climate, environment, migration, inequality, capitalism, and public health. How will new arrangements be forged in a world that straddles the power and influence of China, India, and other emerging powers, together with the leaders of the former liberal order, the United States and Europe? 

The ICI research cluster, “Global China and India in a Post-Liberal World” will include a postdoctoral fellowship, a regular convening of public intellectuals and opinion leaders, speaker series, and working papers.