Global Governance Futures: Imperfect Utopias or Bust

Tim Maughan is a British science fiction writer whose work critically explores the intersections of technology and society. He is perhaps best known for his debut novel, “Infinite Detail,” which was a 2020 Locus Award finalist for best first novel and shortlisted for the British Science Fiction Association Award for Best Novel. "Infinite Detail" presents a prescient examination of the dystopian implications of surveillance capitalism and the fragility of the internet. Prior to this novel, Maughan gained recognition for his short stories, such as those compiled in “Paintwork,” which delve into similar themes of urban culture and future technologies. He has written for TV and film, including being a story producer and writer for the Emmy nominated Netflix show The Future Of. His non-fiction writing and analysis has been published by the BBC, Esquire, MIT Technology Review, New Scientist and Vice, and has included in-person reporting from massive container ships and factories in China, alongside features and commentary on subjects as varied as fashion in the Metaverse and the political impacts of large, complex systems. In 2015 he was the receiver of the Seahorse Award for Supply Chain Journalist of the Year.

In this conversation, we reflect on the themes in Infinite Detail, the fragility of technological civilization, and the future direction of our increasingly digital world.

Tim’s official website can be found here: https://www.timmaughanbooks.com/

He tweets @timemaughan

We discussed:

Infinite Detail (2019): https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374175412/infinitedetail

The invisible network that keeps the world running (2015): https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20150209-the-network-that-runs-the-world

Philip Cunliffe joins us to talk about his recent book ‘The New 20 Year Crisis’ which draws inspiration for the classic 1939 text ‘The 20 Year Crisis’ by E. H. Carr to advance a powerful, incisive critique both of the liberal internationalist project of the past two decades, as well as the discipline of IR itself which beguiled by the ‘unipolar imaginary’ has failed to comprehend the depth of the transformations currently underway in international politics. Philip provocatively argues that we are living through a wholesale structural reconfiguration of the international political order, a reconfiguration which spells the end of ‘the utopian dream of the receding era of unipolarity’. This claim sets the stage for a lively conversation where we touch upon questions of realism versus idealism, the autonomous logic of realpolitik, liberalism post-unipolarity, why Karl Rove is the ultimate constructivist(!), and, ultimately, why a fundamental rethink in how we practice and teach international relations is now essential if we are to fully reckon with rising multipolarity and shifting global power dynamics.

Philip Cunliffe is Associate Professor in International Relations at the Institute for Risk & Disaster Reduction, University College London where he researches and teaches on the topics of international order, multinational military intervention and conflict management. He has 20 years of academic experience, having previously worked as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Kent and a Temporary Lecturer at the UK’s Joint Services Command and Staff College. He obtained his PhD in War Studies from King's College London. He has also worked as a contributor to the Economist Intelligence Unit.

He is a prolific author and editor, having published eight books and numerous academic articles and chapters on various aspects of international politics and security. He is committed to engaging with the public and the media, and writes for various outlets, including UnHerd, the New Statesman, the Spectator, the Times (London), Daily Telegraph, Compact, among others. He has also appeared on TV and radio including BBC Radio 4 and GB News.

Philip co-hosts the @bungacast podcast: https://bungacast.com/

And tweets @thephilippics: https://x.com/thephilippics

His Substack is at https://thephilippics.substack: https://thephilippics.substack.com/

Philip’s UCL profile can be found here: https://profiles.ucl.ac.uk/88668-philip-cunliffe/publications

We discussed:

The New Twenty Years’ Crisis A Critique of International Relations, 1999-2019 (2020): https://www.mqup.ca/new-twenty-years--crisis--the-products-9780228001027.php#:~:text=The%20New%20Twenty%20Years'%20Crisis%20reveals%20that%20the%20liberal%20international,of%20the%20crisis%20are%20internal.

Cosmopolitan dystopia International intervention and the failure of the West (2020): https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526105738/

Professor Giorgio Savini is an astrophysicist at University College London, specialising in instrumentation for space exploration. As a key figure at UCL’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, his work bridges the gap between astrophysics and engineering, focusing on the development of cutting-edge technologies for space telescopes and satellite systems. He has been involved in major international consortiums, including working on the Planck Probe’s High Frequency Instrument and currently serving as Payload Scientist on the European Space Agency ARIEL mission.

In this conversation, we delve into the practical implications of space governance on the work of scientists and technicians tasked with pushing the frontiers of space exploration, why the 1967 Outer Space Treaty is not fit for purposes, the very real dangers posed by Kessler Syndrome (space debris), and what global governance should have to do with it.

Giorgio’s official profile can be found here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/physics-astronomy/people/professor-giorgio-savini

We discussed:

The Outer Space Treaty, 1967: https://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/spacelaw/treaties/introouterspacetreaty.html

The Moon Agreement, 1984: https://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/spacelaw/treaties/intromoon-agreement.html

The Artemis Accords, 2020: https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-accords/

Deborah Avant is the Sié Chéou-Kang Chair for International Security and Diplomacy at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver. She is a distinguished scholar in the field of international relations, renowned for her expertise in global governance, security studies, and civil-military relations. Her groundbreaking 2005 book, The Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security earned her widespread acclaim and shone an important light on privatization of military services and its implications for global security. Her current research uses network and pragmatic theory to understand how security and governance are actually conducted – both historically and in the contemporary world.

In this conversation, we reflect on the role of private military companies and the aftermath of the Iraq War. challenges and opportunities in security studies, the role of academia in addressing global crises, the importance of questioning conventional wisdom, and much more.

Deborah’s official profile can be found here: https://korbel.du.edu/about/directory/deborah-avant

We discussed:

The Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security, 2005: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/market-for-force/0EAE220EDCBF4ADF88F97B6F7B1BDD10

Who Governs the Globe (with M. Finnemore and S. Sell), 2010: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/who-governs-the-globe/6B6B62E4C2E00E560DF3B2B35E79C839

The Ethics of Engaged Scholarship in a Complex World, 2024: https://academic.oup.com/ia/article-abstract/100/1/159/7506709?redirectedFrom=fulltext

Professor Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im is the Charles Howard Candler Professor of Law Emeritus at Emory Law, associated professor in the Emory College of Arts and Sciences, and senior fellow of the Center for the Study of Law and Religion of Emory University. A world-renowned scholar of Islam and human rights and human rights in cross-cultural perspectives, An-Na'im teaches courses in international law, comparative law, human rights, and Islamic law. His research interests include constitutionalism in Islamic and African countries, secularism, Islam and politics and human rights.

Our conversation was inspired by his latest book, Decolonizing Human Rights, which challenges both historical interpretations of Islamic Sharia and neocolonial understanding of human rights. Abdullahi proposes a transformation from human rights organised around state-determined practice to one that is focused on what he calls a “people-centric” approach that empowers individuals to decide how human rights will be understood and integrated into their communities. This argument serves as the starting point for our conversation on the complexities, paradoxes and cultural dimensions that challenge a traditional Western perspective on human rights and invites inquiry into what a decolonized, culturally-inclusive alternative might look like.

Abdullahi’s official profile can be found here: https://law.emory.edu/faculty/faculty-emeritus/annaim-emeritus-profile.html

We discussed:

Decolonizing Human Rights, 2021: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/decolonizing-human-rights/decolonizing-human-rights/1A39889DEDE614E07D18FFF988BF085F

Human Rights and its Inherent Liberal Relativism, 2019: https://goldsmithspress.pubpub.org/pub/v1c6tsos/release/1

Human Rights in Cross-Cultural Perspectives: A Quest for Consensus, 2010: https://muse.jhu.edu/book/340

Professor Cynthia Enloe is a Research Professor in the Department of Sustainability and Social Justice at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. Cynthia is one of the leading voices on gender and militarism, as well as one of the main proponents of feminist international relations. With fifteen published books and numerous awards to her name, Cynthia is a passionate lecturer and activist, dedicated to raising awareness about how feminist and gendered perspectives have shaped both national and international political discourse. Her contribution to advancing gender justice in international politics has been recognised by the inclusion on the Gender Justice Legacy Wall unveiled at the International Criminal Court at The Hague.

Our conversation was inspired by her latest book, Twelve Feminist Lessons of War, which urges us to contemplate and maintain curiosity about the diverse realities of women’s wartime lived realities. In a world marked by conflict, Cynthia emphasises the need to acknowledge that “women’s wars are not men’s wars” as a foundation for building enduring peace. This principle serves as the starting point for our conversation on the gendered experiences of war, hierarchies of femininities and masculinities, and the importance of transnational feminist solidarity.

Cynthia can be found here: https://www.clarku.edu/faculty/profiles/cynthia-enloe/

We discussed:

• Twelve Feminist Lessons of War (London: Footnote Press; Berkeley: University of California Press), 2023.

• Bananas, Beaches and Bases: Making Feminist Sense of International Politics (Berkley: University of California Press), 2014.

• The Curious Feminist: Searching for Women in a New Age of Empire (Berkley: University of California Press), 2004.

• Maneuvers: The International Politics of Militarizing Women's Lives (Berkley: University of California Press), 2000.

Bonnitta Roy is an author and a teacher. Her work focuses on breaking away from limiting patterns of thought. She is the founder of Alderlore Insight Centre, a non-profit educational organisation focusing on secondary education and insight training for post-formal thinkers. She is Professor in Residence for the MA in Consciousness Studies and Transpersonal Psychology at the Graduate Institute, and an Associate Editor of Integral Review.

Bonnitta is among a brilliant cast of metamodern thinkers. In this regard, her work considers how the sense of crisis many of us feel has as much to do with how we perceive the world as with what goes on within it. We are living through a period of disruptive change and Bonnitta sees these times as an invitation to grapple with the limitations of our inherited toolbox of linear and causal ways of thinking.

In this episode we reflect on the limitations of human consciousness and discuss the potential for good that stems from reimagining the way we think.

Bonnitta’s work can be found here:

https://bonnittaroy.substack.com/

https://www.kosmosjournal.org/contributor/bonnitta-roy/

https://tllp.org/people/bonnitta-roy/

https://systems-souls-society.com/origin/people/

Keep up with Bonnitta on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/bonnittaroy

We discussed:

“Complex Potential States: A theory of Change that can account for beauty and generate life” in The Side View, November 2021

https://thesideview.co/journal/complex-potential-states/

“Time, Change and Causality: Notes toward metamorphosis of mind” in Dispatches from a Time Between Worlds: Crisis and emergence in metamoderntiy (Pespectiva, 2021) (ed. Jonathan Rowson & Layman Pascal)

Professor Michael Barnett is University Professor of International Affairs and Political Science at the George Washington University. Michael is one of the leading International Relations scholars of his generation and a major figure in the field of humanitarianism, global governance, global ethics and the United Nations. He has set the coordinates for major debates in the field, including investigation of the sometimes positive, sometimes pernicious effects of international organisations on global politics, as well as bringing issues of institutional bias, privilege and power inequity to the fore when thinking about global governance. Among his many books are Eyewitness to a Genocide: The United Nations and Rwanda; Empire of Humanity: A History of Humanitarianism; Rules for the World: International Organizations in World Politics (with Martha Finnemore); and Power and Global Governance (co-edited with Raymond Duvall).

In this podcast we talk about humanitarian intervention, the liberal biases of the post-Cold War and whether global governance has reached its sell-by-date.

Michael can be found here: https://elliott.gwu.edu/michael-barnett

We also discussed:

‘Is Israel on the Precipice of Genocide?’ Political Violence at a Glance, 6 March 2023: https://politicalviolenceataglance.org/2023/03/06/is-israel-on-the-precipice-of-genocide/

‘COVID-19 and the Sacrificial International Order’, International Organization, 2020: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-organization/article/covid19-and-the-sacrificial-international-order/7D64519B3541BD20C77D4DE82702243F

‘Accountability and global governance: The view from paternalism’, Regulation & Governance, 2016: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/rego.12083

Power in Global Governance, Cambridge University Press, 2005 (with Raymond Duvall).

Professor Geoff Mann is Distinguished Professor of Geography at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver BC. Geoff is an award-winning political economist and writer, known as a leading researcher on the historical development and future trajectory of economic governance set against the backdrop of the climate crisis. He is a senior fellow at the Institute for New Economic Thinking and a 2022 recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship award for his contributions to his field. Among many publications, the book Climate Leviathan: A Political Theory of Our Planetary Future (Verso, 2018) (with Joel Wainwright) is a vital referent point for anyone interested in the radical political consequences of climate change. But it is the quite brilliant 2019 article in the Boston Review ‘It Was Not Supposed to End This Way’ and his intriguing claim that ‘the tragedy of liberalism is its inability to narrate the end progress’ which serves as the point of departure for our conversation.

In this podcast we talk about the scale and depth of the challenge posed by the Anthropocene, the impossible ‘We’, the tragedy of liberalism, and where we might look for alternative stories to narrate the end of progress, and much, much more.

Geoff can be found here: https://www.sfu.ca/geography/about/our-people/profiles/Geoff-Mann.html

And tweets @GeoffPMann: https://twitter.com/GeoffPMann

We discussed:

‘Markets Won’t Stop Fossil Fuels’, Dissent Magazine, Spring 2023: https://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/markets-wont-stop-fossil-fuels/

‘It Was Not Supposed to End This Way’, Boston Review, 13 August 2019: https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/geoff-mann-it-was-not-supposed-end-way/

Climate Leviathan: A Political Theory of Our Planetary Future (Verso, 2018) (with Joel Wainwright): https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/products/520-climate-leviathan

Professor David Kennedy is the Manley O. Hudson Professor of Law and Faculty Director of the Institute for Global Law and Policy at Harvard Law School. Described by prominent historian Samuel Moyn as “the single most important innovator in international legal thought of the past several decades,” David is renowned for his penetrating and critical analysis of the place of law in global governance. He is the author of numerous books and articles exploring issues of global governance, human rights, development policy and the nature of professional expertise.

His most recent book with Harvard University Press, Of Law and the World, is a searching dialogue between himself and close associate and renowned critical legal scholar in his own right, Professor Martti Koskenniemi: https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674290785

In this conversation we talk about a political economy approach to global governance, what international law has got to do with it, experts and lawyers as “governors,” the role of critical scholarship, and much, much more.

David can be found here: https://hls.harvard.edu/faculty/david-w-kennedy/

We discussed:

A World of Struggle: How Power, Law and Expertise Shape Global Political Economy, Princeton University Press (2016): https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691146782/a-world-of-struggle

Interview with David Kennedy, “Global Governance in Crisis Time,” 25 June 2020: https://www.centeronnationalsecurity.org/vital-interests-issue-37-david-kennedy

“The mystery of global governance,” Ohio Northern University Law Review, vol. 34 (2008): http://iglp.law.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Kennedy_GlobalGovernance.pdf

The Rights of Spring: A Memoir of Innocence Abroad, Princeton University Press (2009): https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691141381/the-rights-of-spring