Publication

This paper examines the international response to the conflict in Mali to addresses concerns over the ability of a multipolar world to respond to a conflict. The authors suggest that the stalemate over the conflict in Syria, the growing isolation of Russia following events in Ukraine and Western suspicions about the rise China all seem to reaffirm the assumption that a multipolar world will lead to competition rather than cooperation between international actors. However, they also suggest that the international community’s ability to swiftly respond to the conflict in Mali in 2013 demonstrates that cooperation among emerging and traditional powers is still attainable.