SFS Professor Proposes New Global Governing Structure Amidst Shifting Power Dynamics
SFS Professor Charles Kupchan has proposed a new global governing structure, a 'concert system,' to address the breakdown of the current international order. This system, inspired by the 19th-century Concert of Europe, would consist of high-level coordinating councils designed to manage the future global order. Kupchan's vision is detailed in his forthcoming book, 'Bringing Order to Anarchy: Governing the World to Come,' set for publication in October 2026. He identifies two primary forces driving the current transition: the diffusion of power from West to East and North to South, leading to a decentered world, and the digital age's impact on the social contract, causing socioeconomic dislocation and making governance more challenging, particularly for democracies. These shifts are fueling geopolitical rivalries and eroding international rules and institutions, resulting in global disarray. Kupchan suggests that while the world is moving towards a more regionalized structure, a top-down approach through a ...
