More than a year on from the re-election of Donald Trump as US president, countries are grappling with a rapidly changing international order in security and in economics which many of them also seek to shape.
The US has made clear that its protection of its allies is limited but nonetheless aims to resolve conflicts around the world. It has reset, several times, the terms on which it trades with the world. China has declared that it aims to be the architect of the evolving world order but its intentions remain unclear.
Other countries and regions, from the Middle East to Europe, Latin America, Africa and China’s Asian neighbours seek a path of stability between the two superpowers.
One set of questions is what should be preserved of the old order. Is international law resented as a construction of the West; can countries and companies globally see it as in their interest to embrace? Can the WTO and the IMF be saved? The United Nations itself? Are agreements on health cooperation needed to counter a new pandemic? Is there still hope for a coordinated response to newer challenges: environmental change and AI?
Agreement on new forms of order is emerging, however, as countries including the Global South see their chance to shape an evolving order.
The 2026 London conference, the 11th edition of Chatham House’s flagship event, will bring together leading voices from government, business, international institutions and universities to propose a route to order in an evolving world.
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