The Prospects of the G20's Support of Liberalism: International Order and the Sustainable Development Goals

This article examines the question of whether the G20 can support liberal notions of international order. It contends that the contribution of the G20 to promote order has not been fully considered and that there are significant difficulties but some limited possibilities whereby the G20 can support liberal aspirations related to international order. It is the case that the G20 offers prospects for a broader and more pragmatic conception of order to promote the stability of globalisation. This pragmatic possibility has always been present in the G20's informal association of developed states and rising states which has had a flexible agenda that attempts to address both the economic and social aspects of globalisation. This article argues that the recent engagement by the G20 with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) points to a possible impetus for a post-liberal foundation of a pragmatic order able to manage a multifaceted understanding of globalisation.

Automated summary

This article examines whether the G20 can support liberal notions of international order and argues that there are limited possibilities for the G20 to support liberal aspirations related to international order. It suggests that the G20's engagement with the Sustainable Development Goals may provide an impetus for a pragmatic order that can manage a multifaceted understanding of globalization.