Southern multilateralism: Complementary competition vis-à-vis the Liberal International Order

Abstract

A growing literature documents the emergence of a “new multilateralism” in the postpandemic context (Telo 2020; Kaul 2020) and prior to it (IMF 2018; Hampson and Heinbecker 2011) to address challenges of inclusion and sustainability in global governance (Singh and Woolcock 2022, this special collection). Situated in the broader context of the changing global order, different strands of the literature debate the challenges offered by the “new multilateralism” to the Liberal International Order (Ikenberry 2018), highlight the role of non-state “power brokers” (Subacci 2014), and reflect on possibilities of South-South cooperation (Mawdsley 2013). This article contributes to the discussion by highlighting the role of “Southern multilateralism” not so much as a challenge to the Liberal International Order as suggestive of an emerging order that both complements it and competes with it.