3 Bs and a Crumbling World Order

This book examines why the liberal international order, once seemingly unassailable, now confronts existential questions in the twenty-first century's opening decades. It shows how the rise of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), BRICS, and Bitcoin—the ‘3 Bs’— has signalled a fundamental shift in global power dynamics and governance frameworks. It analyzes how these three externalities challenge core assumptions about international cooperation, economic governance, and hegemonic leadership. They also posit alternative visions: infrastructure-led connectivity, multipolar economic alliances, and decentralized financial systems that bypass traditional Western institutions. Moving beyond nostalgia or triumphalism, it explores what frameworks might emerge as the world transitions from unipolarity—and whether liberal internationalism can adapt, reform, or must yield to fundamentally different organizing principles for global order. The volume will be of great interest to researchers and students of politics and international relations, development studies and international organizations. Accessible and comprehensive, it will also be of interest to general readers.