The multiple challenges of contemporary international relations

Abstract

The book that reaches the reader is the result of work developed by the Laboratory of Geopolitics, International Relations, and Antisystemic Movements (LabGRIMA) at the International Relations Program of the Federal University of Pelotas (UFPel), Brazil. Since 2019, LabGRIMA has been dedicated to studying and promoting its work outside Brazil. This is the fourth book edited in English by the UFPel Publisher. To achieve this, they seek partnerships with academics and experts, who have a critical perspective on International Relations. The goal is to provide analyses that offer an understanding of major contemporary events beyond the traditional, exclusively Anglo-Saxon, perspective. Shortly after the end of the Soviet Union, it was believed that many political and geopolitical rivalries declined significantly. The typical idea of the “end of history” and the victory of the U.S. worldview shortly after the dismantling of the socialist bloc provided a broad analytical repertoire of a unipolar world. However, what we observed over time was a rearrangement of the international stage, mainly by Russia, reasserting its role as a global geopolitical player in the 21st century. Simultaneously, the emergence of a group of countries known as BRICS has a significant capacity to influence the international stage as well as the increasingly pronounced presence of China as a global player. All of this occurs within what constitutes the decline of US hegemony, not only economically, but also ideologically and geopolitically (Arrighi, 1994; Wallerstein, 2003). Despite the reluctance of Anglo-Saxon mainstream academia to recognize the decline of US and Western European influence, or at least to downplay it, we can clearly see signs of this decline. The current international geopolitical landscape is extremely challenging for geopolitics and international relations analysis. Therefore, we aimed to provide insights into such challenging landscapes across various themes. To achieve these goals, we have contributions from researchers not only from Brazil but also from Belgium, Russia, Romania, and Italy. Therefore, the reader can find a collection of articles and essays by our guests. For this purpose, we have the contributions of Mateus José da Silva Santos and Charles Pennaforte from the Federal University of Pelotas with their piece titled Paths of International (Dis)order: The Decline of American Primacy, Ukrainian Conflict, and Systemic Uncertainties in the 21st Century. They provided an analysis of the emergence of different critical perspectives, both within and outside the Anglo-Saxon world, regarding strategic impasses involving NATO and Russia in the post-Cold War era.