Ebook: Contending Liberalisms in World Politics: Ideology and Power

This wide-ranging critique of current endeavors to construct a world order based on neoliberal ideology comes not from a standpoint opposed to liberalism, but from within liberalism itself. After introducing the theme of contending liberalisms, Richardson traces the emergence over time of a distinctive liberal view of international relations and reviews the present state of liberal IR theory. He then turns to neoliberal ideology, examining it in detail—particularly in the context of globalization—and investigating the powerful forces that support and sustain it. His conclusion, offering modest grounds for optimism, assesses the prospects for an alternative, more equitable liberal order.