Publication

This paper focuses on three major challenges to the existing international system – the weakness of democracy, the competition of ideologies, and the increasing relevance of everyday practices in international politics – and how they might facilitate China's attempts to create a new global order. The paper's author then explores Beijing's One Belt, One Road (OBOR) Initiative and 1) wonders whether it actually provides an alternative model for international relations; 2) highlights the key features of OBOR and the vision it serves (to create a comprehensive cultural, economic, and political network that promotes connectivity and cooperation between countries, regions, and cities along the Silk Road); and 3) recommends that European governments (and others) develop a greater appreciation of how OBOR might impact their current and future relations with China.