Review of the article Globalization, Retreat, and the Liberal International Order: Markus Kornprobst and T.V. Paul

Abstract

In light of the escalating competition between major powers, increasing geopolitical crises, and rapid technological developments, the structure of the contemporary international system has witnessed rapid transformations that have reshaped the nature of globalization and its functions. This study aims to analyze the relationships between globalization and the decline of globalization and the impact of this on the structure of the liberal international system, through a critical review of the article by Markus Kornprobst and T. V. Paul, with the expansion of the analytical framework to include global transformations during the period, (2022 -2026), so the study starts from the hypothesis that globalization has not declined or ended, Rather, it witnessed a qualitative transformation in its nature and functions. As a result of the rapid changes in the fields of technology, economics, and international security, the study relies on the critical analytical approach, dismantling the basic concepts contained in the article, and comparing them with modern developments, especially in the fields of the digital economy, global supply chains, and security policies, until the results showed that globalization is no longer a linear process based on continuous expansion, Rather, it has become a dynamic process that combines expansion and contraction at the same time. It may expand in the digital and technological field, and decline relatively in the areas of traditional trade and investment. The study also concluded that the liberal international order did not collapse, but rather entered a stage of structural transformation, in which it became more fragmented and pluralistic. As a result of escalating nationalist tendencies, declining confidence in international institutions, and intensifying competition between major powers, especially between the United States of America and China. In this context, the study proposes three new analytical concepts: selective globalization, securitized globalization, and the fragmented liberal international order, as explanatory tools more capable of understanding current transformations. The study concludes that globalization in its current stage has become more linked to technology and data, and more subject to political and security assessments, which imposes the necessity of developing traditional theoretical frameworks and adopting comprehensive analytical approaches that take into account the intersection between economics, technology, and politics. The study also recommends the necessity of Re-evaluating the role of international institutions and enhancing their ability to adapt to new transformations in the international system