Multipolarity: What Is It Good For?

Chris, Melanie, and Zack debate whether the world is multipolar and discuss what the United States can do to win support for its preferred policies, particularly in the Global South. They disagree on multipolarity but agree that Washington must pay more attention to non-aligned countries in the months and years ahead. Chris gives a backhanded attaboy to China’s ambassador to France, Melanie commends Elon Musk for SpaceX’s Starship launch, and Zack criticizes him for Twitter’s labeling of state-affiliated media.

Episode Reading:

• Nirupama Rao, “The Upside of Rivalry,” Foreign Affairs, May/June 2023.
• Huong Le Thu, “How to Survive a Great-Power Competition,” Foreign Affairs, May/June 2023.
• Matias Spektor, “In Defense of the Fence Sitters,” Foreign Affairs, May/June 2023.
• David Miliband, “The World Beyond Ukraine,” Foreign Affairs, May/June 2023.
  Stephen G. Brooks and William C. Wohlforth, “The Myth of Multipolarity,” Foreign Affairs, May/June 2023.
• Marc Rod, “Inside Heritage’s foreign policy evolution,” Jewish Insider, April 24, 2023.
• Tim Sweijs and Michael J. Mazarr, “Mind the Middle Powers,” War on the Rocks, April 4, 2023.
• Frank Jordans, “Over and Out: Germany Switches Off Its Last Nuclear Plants,” AP, April 15, 2023.
• Emre Kelly and Jamie Groh, “SpaceX Starship Launches from Texas, Then Explodes Over Gulf of Mexico,” USA Today, April 20, 2023.
• Kevin Williamson, “Against Euro-Vassalization,” The Dispatch, April 17, 2023.
• The Global South in the World Order Project, Reimagining US Grand Strategy Program, Stimson Center.
• Mekong Dam Monitor, Southeast Asia Program, and Energy, Water, and Sustainability Program, Stimson Center.
• Christopher Preble, “Assumption #3: US leadership is indispensable to the health of the global order,” Atlantic Council, November 3, 2021.
• Benjamin Haddad, “Macron Said Out Loud What Europeans Really Think About China,” Foreign Policy, April 14, 2023.
• Steven Erlanger, “China’s Ambassador Lu Shaye Comments on Ex-Soviet States Drawing Ire,” The New York Times, April 24, 2023.

Image: The Kremlin