23 April 2026

On Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 April, Prof. Antje Wiener PhD and Prof. Dr Thomas Risse will discuss the future of the rules-based international order. On Monday, the two authors of the new book ‘Deep Contestations of the Liberal International Order’ will be at Hadley’s in Hamburg at 7.30 pm; on Tuesday, they will be at the German Council on Foreign Relations  (DGAP) in Berlin at 6.30 pm.

Russia’s war against Ukraine, the war in Gaza, challenges to the free trade order under Donald Trump, and most recently the escalating tensions involving the United States, Israel and Iran: for many observers, these developments signal a turning point for the international order. Indeed, fundamental principles are under pressure. Questioning norms is constructive and even constitutive for liberal orders. However, profound shocks call such orders fundamentally into question—yet they do not necessarily mark the end of a rules-based international order.

Further information on the events and registration can be found on the websites of Hadley’s and the DGAP. The accompanying book, 'Deep Contestations of the Liberal International Order', published this year by Oxford University Press, can be found here.