War & Peace in the 21st Century: A world of two or three? The US, China and the EU in a new global order

For the last few years the fault-lines dividing the United States and the People’s Republic of China seem not only to consolidate but to deepen further. Some voices suggest that we might be on the edge of the formation of a new bipolar system with dynamics mimicking those of the Cold War in the 20^th Century between the US and the USSR. From trade wars to technological competition the effects of their current incipient contest are already affecting the contours of the global order. Amid the potential clash between Washington and Beijing, the European Union is asking itself whether it could become a third global pole in its own right and if it is interested in it to happen. After the Parliamentary elections in May 2019 and the constitution of the new EU Commission, new European leaderships must take strategic decisions on what the role of the European Union amid this contest should be. At the same time, Russia also tries to play a leading role in shaping the new world order. What should the EU do in order to secure its positions as a third independent voice? How would transatlantic relations be reshaped in this context? A new distribution of power might come hand-in-hand with substantial changes in the international order. How would the global liberal order change in light of a tripolar distribution of power? Is there anything different the EU can offer amid this change?

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CIDOB Briefings ‘War and Peace in the 21st Century 2020: A World of Two or Three? The US, China and the EU in a New Global Order’