“A brilliant account of the economic, social, and political factors contributing to the unraveling of international law and institutions since the heyday of ‘liberal internationalism.’ Stephan persuasively shows how the accelerating pace of technological change induced by the knowledge economy explains this unraveling and how nations can spark new forms of international cooperation to respond to global challenges. This book is a must-read for understanding where international law is today.”

—Jack Goldsmith, Learned Hand Professor of Law, Harvard Law School

“At a time when we try to understand the crises the world is facing, this book digs deep and solves a big part of a puzzle. Knowledge generally seen as good, but the knowledge economy as the input to globalization may produce undesired consequences. The book does not throw out the baby with the bath water but attempts to save liberal internationalism from itself with concrete proposals for international law and governance. A must read for anybody seeking solutions to our current crises.”

—Anne van Aaken, Alexander von Humboldt Professor, University of Hamburg, Germany

“We hear a lot today about threats to the liberal world order. In this timely book, a leading American scholar of international law offers an incisive and original account of that order--including how it developed, what sustained it, and why it is unraveling. Drawing together a wide range of examples, Stephan lays out what it will take to restore the international consensus needed to confront global challenges of the future.”

—Matthew Waxman, Liviu Librescu Professor of Law, Columbia Law School