London Conference 2019: Who Will Write The Rules for The 21st Century?

The durability of the current rules-based system into the 21st century partly depends on the extent to which it serves the national and regional interests of non-Western powers and their allies.

The international system’s future depends on how well equipped it is to respond to the ambitions of countries like China, Russia and India, and emerging powers such as Mexico, Indonesia and Turkey.

How societies manage increased global competition over resources, conflict and security risks and the pursuit influence will determine whether the future resembles the present or if a new global order will take shape.

Will divergent national interests lead to new rules and institutions or will the instincts of the international community lean towards the preservation of the current order? What will be the nature of a future rules-based order and who will it serve?

What features of the existing system will remain and what will no longer be sacrosanct? How will the international governance systems change and how will key global institutions and regional bodies adapt?

How, if enhanced geopolitical and geo-economic competition is here to stay, will the terms on which it is carried out have to be re-thought?