Navigating the emerging world order: Hussein Banai’s English School perspective
Associate Professor Hussein Banaiof the Indiana University Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies co-authored a compelling new analysis that explores the future of international governance. In the Nov. 2 article, “The Emerging World Order in the 21st Century: An English School Approach,” Banai and his co-authors challenge conventional assumptions about the current geopolitical moment. While many scholars see the decline of the Liberal International Order or anticipate a new Cold War-style bipolarity, they argue for a more nuanced outcome – a Global International Society that persists, albeit in a transformed state.
The authors assert that shared norms, core institutions (like diplomacy and international law), and established practices will continue to shape global interactions. The world is not collapsing into mere power politics but is instead reconfiguring around a changing set of social practices and geopolitical relations.
This analysis directly reflects Banai’s signature scholarship, which focuses on the normative foundations of international politics as they affect the institution and practice of diplomacy. His work consistently bridges theory and practice, demonstrating how ideas, institutions, and historical context influence the dynamics of global cooperation and conflict.
This timely publication underscores the Hamilton Lugar School’s commitment to fostering intellectually rigorous and interdisciplinary scholarship that directly addresses the complexities of global order in a rapidly shifting world.
To learn more, read the full article at E-International Relations or consider enrolling in one of Banai’s courses such as International Political Thought, The Rise and Fall of Internationalisms, Democracy and Global Politics, or Peace and Conflict.

