Authoritarian Shift in International Economic Order: A New Global Landscape

The Rise of the Authoritarian International Economic Order by Guillermo J. Garcia Sanchez,

The post–Cold War international economic order often described as “neoliberal” rested on three pillars: liberalized trade, multilateral cooperation, and legally structured dispute resolution. This article argues that this order is undergoing a profound structural transformation, driven not only by authoritarian states but also by liberal democracies.

Across trade, finance, sanctions, and supply‐chain governance, major powers increasingly rely on coercive economic strategies that mirror the logic of authoritarian governance:

• unilateral decision‐making
• normalization of economic pressure as statecraft
• instrumentalization of legal norms
• circumvention of institutional safeguards

These developments are not temporary shocks. The article contends they reflect a broader consensus around using economic interdependence not to promote shared development, but to exert strategic influence and control.

The central question: Are we witnessing the fragmentation of the liberal economic system or the emergence of an authoritarian international economic order?

The article concludes that this authoritarian turn may offer short‐term advantages to powerful states, but it is structurally fragile and likely to:
• exacerbate global inequality
• marginalize developing economies
• deepen systemic instability

Read: http://spkl.io/604976Y4P
#InternationalLaw #EconomicCoercion #TradeLaw #Geopolitics #InternationalEconomicLaw #Sanctions #GlobalGovernance