
A liberal international order is possible only in unipolarity. Finally, the liberal order accelerated China's rise, which helped transform the system from unipolar to multipolar. Furthermore, the hyperglobalization that is integral to the liberal order creates economic problems among the lower and middle classes within the liberal democracies, fueling a backlash against that order. Modern nation-states privilege sovereignty and national identity, however, which guarantees trouble when institutions become powerful and borders porous. Additionally, problems arose because a liberal order calls for states to delegate substantial decisionmaking authority to international institutions and to allow refugees and immigrants to move easily across borders. efforts to promote liberal democracy for security-related reasons. The spread of liberal democracy around the globe-essential for building that order-faced strong resistance because of nationalism, which emphasizes self-determination. It was flawed from the start and thus destined to fail. The liberal international order, erected after the Cold War, was crumbling by 2019.
