Thematic working group international cooperation in the context of systemic rivalry

Investigating the current situation and future possibilities for international cooperation in the context of systemic rivalry.

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Under this horizontal topic we examine the possibilities and scope conditions for international cooperation in the context of systemic rivalry. Competition and different systems of order need not automatically lead to confrontation. How can cooperation be stimulated in order to secure global goods?

We begin by analysing the precise nature of systemic rivalry, and the different ideas about international order and domestic political systems. In doing so, we scrutinize the assumptions underlying the idea of “systemic rivalry”, both conceptually and empirically, and also consider other competing discourses. Secondly, we investigate the (changing?) opportunities for international cooperation in this context (quantity, quality and forms). We analyse this at different levels in selected institutions - multilateral, plurilateral, regional, bilateral - and in diverse sectors. Where is there change, where continuity? What kind of change is occurring within ongoing cooperation? Where is competition increasing, or new opportunities opening up? For which actors and formats? How can we shape our relationships with countries that adopt a confrontational stance? And how would such actions affect systemic rivalries?