Richard Haass, A World in Disarray: American Foreign Policy and the Crisis of the Old Order

Abstract

A World in Disarray: American Foreign Policy and the Crisis of the Old Order is a written by Richard Haass. He has been the long serving president of the Council on Foreign Relations. Earlier he was the senior Middle East adviser to President George H. W. Bush and served in the US National Security Council.

A world in Disarray is a timely contribution to literature on challenges faced by the world political order. The book is divided into three parts; the first part traces the history of the world order from the rise of the modern state system to the end of the Cold War, the second part gives an account of the momentous shifts and changes in the world order in the last quarter of the pervious century, and the third part suggests specific steps that could tackle many forthcoming challenges to the world peace and order.

The fundamental elements of the world order, established after WWII, worked well till it ran its course with the disintegration of Soviet Union. Besides his own analysis, the author has drawn from prominent scholars works, who have analyzed international political transitions. He refers to Hedley Bull’s perspective on international system and society and his emphases on citizens, freedom of action within the state’s borders, and in the larger international society.