Towards a post-COVID world order

Abstract

This chapter provides a critical analysis of contemporary global connectedness, framed within the context of global foreign aid. This forms the foundation for pitching the existing (neo)liberal world order against an emerging, post-COVID-19 world order and by contrasting unipolar, bipolar, and multipolar power relations governing the concept called ‘order’. The idea of an emerging world order provides the context within which the implications of COVID-19’s disruption of the foreign aid and development system draw upon and contribute to discourse around evolving bilateral and multilateral aid and development relationships. The chapter critically unpacks key themes, including the locus and impact of aid in international development. This includes an examination of mutual obligations and global cooperation required to address the contemporary health, economic, and social crises affecting marginalised populations and countries. The chapter highlights how governments around the world are confronting the COVID-19 health crisis, an economic crisis, political and governance crises, institutional legitimacy crises, and geopolitical rivalry and refers inter alia to strengthening of nationalism, illiberalism, and populism and weakening of the existing world order. The chapter positions overarching themes of political economy analysis and soft power, disruption and re-making, and public health, poverty and inequality in foreign aid.