Divided world: The struggle for primacy in 2020

Divided world: The struggle for primacy in 2020

Essay
Mark Leonard
01 January 2007

The world in 2020 will not see a new world order, but a competition between four ideas of how the world should be run: an American world striving for a balance of power that favours democracy; a 'Eurosphere' whose support for democracy is coupled with a belief in international institutions; an 'axis of sovereignty' led by China and Russia that sees multilateral institutions as protection from western interference; and a Middle Eastern 'faith zone', defined neither by democracy nor the rule of law. This essay sketches the outlines of the 'quadripolar world' that is awaiting us.

Copyright is held by the Centre for European Reform. You may not copy, reproduce, republish or circulate in any way the content from this publication except for your own personal and non-commercial use. Any other use requires the prior written permission of the Centre for European Reform.