Philip Cunliffe joins us to talk about his recent book ‘The New 20 Year Crisis’ which draws inspiration for the classic 1939 text ‘The 20 Year Crisis’ by E. H. Carr to advance a powerful, incisive critique both of the liberal internationalist project of the past two decades, as well as the discipline of IR itself which beguiled by the ‘unipolar imaginary’ has failed to comprehend the depth of the transformations currently underway in international politics.  Philip provocatively argues that we are living through a wholesale structural reconfiguration of the international political order, a reconfiguration which spells the end of ‘the utopian dream of the receding era of unipolarity’.  This claim sets the stage for a lively conversation where we touch upon questions of realism versus idealism, the autonomous logic of realpolitik, liberalism post-unipolarity, why Karl Rove is the ultimate constructivist(!), and, ultimately, why a fundamental rethink in how we practice and teach international relations is now essential if we are to fully reckon with rising multipolarity and shifting global power dynamics.

Philip Cunliffe is Associate Professor in International Relations at the Institute for Risk & Disaster Reduction, University College London where he researches and teaches on the topics of international order, multinational military intervention and conflict management. He has 20 years of academic experience, having previously worked as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Kent and a Temporary Lecturer at the UK’s Joint Services Command and Staff College. He obtained his PhD in War Studies from King's College London. He has also worked as a contributor to the Economist Intelligence Unit.

He is a prolific author and editor, having published eight books and numerous academic articles and chapters on various aspects of international politics and security. He is committed to engaging with the public and the media, and writes for various outlets, including UnHerd, the New Statesman, the Spectator, the Times (London), Daily Telegraph, Compact, among others. He has also appeared on TV and radio including BBC Radio 4 and GB News. 

Philip co-hosts the @bungacast podcast: https://bungacast.com/

And tweets @thephilippics: https://x.com/thephilippics 

His Substack is at https://thephilippics.substack: https://thephilippics.substack.com/ 

Philip’s UCL profile can be found here: https://profiles.ucl.ac.uk/88668-philip-cunliffe/publications 

We discussed:

The New Twenty Years’ Crisis A Critique of International Relations, 1999-2019 (2020): https://www.mqup.ca/new-twenty-years--crisis--the-products-9780228001027.php#:~:text=The%20New%20Twenty%20Years'%20Crisis%20reveals%20that%20the%20liberal%20international,of%20the%20crisis%20are%20internal. 

Cosmopolitan dystopia International intervention and the failure of the West (2020): https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526105738/

43: Philip Cunliffe – Liberal Utopianism and its Discontents

In this episode, we welcome longtime friend and collaborator of the UCL Global Governance Institute, Professor Philipp Pattberg, to the podcast, a leading scholar in global environmental governance and sustainability transitions. As Director of the Amsterdam Sustainability Institute and Professor of Transnational Environmental Governance at VU Amsterdam, Philipp’s research examines the role of non-state actors, polycentric governance, and institutional complexity in shaping environmental policy. His work has not only advanced our understanding of governance arrangements beyond the nation-state but has also been instrumental in defining the contours of global governance itself – critically interrogating how the very concept of governance is framed, structured, and, ultimately, deployed in the world.

With the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, fast approaching, we take stock of the evolving governance landscape under the Paris Agreement. A decade after its adoption, the Paris framework continues to define global climate efforts – but does it still hold promise as an effective governance mechanism? In this episode, Pattberg explores the tensions between ambition and implementation, the growing role of private authority and climate clubs, and the need for transformative governance approaches to meet the urgency of the climate crisis. He also reflects on the broader implications of environmental governance beyond climate, from biodiversity loss to planetary boundaries, and what lessons can be drawn for possible futures of multilateralism. Throughout, he challenges us to consider how governance itself is shaped by ideological assumptions, questioning the analytical ‘boxes’ that define the field.

Philipp is Professor of Transnational Environmental Governance at VU Amsterdam and Director of the Amsterdam Sustainability Institute.  His research focuses on climate governance, biodiversity policy, and institutional change in global sustainability governance. He has published extensively in leading journals, including Global Governance, Global Environmental Politics and Environmental Policy and Governance, and is the author of Private Institutions and Global Governance and Environmental Politics and Governance in the Anthropocene (with Frank Biermann).

Philipp’s VU Amsterdam profile can be found here: https://research.vu.nl/en/persons/ph-pattberg

We discussed:

•	’20 Years of global climate change governance research: taking stock and moving forward’, International Environment Agreements (2022). With Cille Kaiser, Oscar Widerberg and Johannes Stripple.
•	‘Forum: Global Governance: Decline or Maturation of an Academic Concept?’ International Studies Review (2010). With Hans Overbeek, Klaus Dingwerth and Daniel Compagnon.
•	‘The Fragmentation of Global Governance Architectures: A Framework for Analysis’, Global Environmental Politics (2009). With Frank Biermann, Harro van Asselt and Fariborz Zelli.
•	‘Global Governance as a Perspective on World Politics’, Global Governance (2006).  With Klaus Dingwerth.


Philipp Pattberg – Climate, Ideology, and the Global Governance Dilemma

In this episode, we welcome one of the most influential voices in international relations, Professor Craig Murphy. A pioneer in global governance scholarship, Craig has been at the forefront of research on international organizations, industrial change, and the historical evolution of global political structures. His work bridges critical theory, historical materialism, and the study of transnational social movements, offering a sweeping perspective on the forces that have shaped our world.  In recognition of his significant contribution to the field, Craig has received the Distinguished Senior Scholar Award in International Political Economy (2013) and International Organization (2024) from the International Studies Associations.  

In this conversation, we trace Craig’s trajectory through the intellectual landscape of the 1970s, where emerging ideas on world-systems theory, quantitative peace research, and environmental limits reshaped the study of international politics. With trademark humour, he reflects on the influence of Robert Cox and historical materialism, the critical need to challenge “relentless presentism” in global governance research, and the dual role of international institutions – as both market-builders for industrial capitalism and platforms for political resistance.  We close by reflecting on a world grappling with existential threats and Craig’s salutary reminder that the task ahead is not just to critique existing governance but to fundamentally rethink and remake it.

Craig Murphy is the Betty Freyhof Johnson ’44 Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Wellesley College.  A leading scholar of global governance, he has served as President of the International Studies Association (2000-2001) and co-editor of the journal Global Governance.

Craig Murphy’s Wellesley profile can be found here: https://www1.wellesley.edu/politicalscience/faculty/murphy

We discussed:
•	‘Every Just Peace is Something New: Translating a Difficult Finding from the Social Sciences to the Humanities and Back’, unpublished manuscript.
•	International Organization and Industrial Change: Global Governance since 1850 (Oxford, 1994).
•	‘Global Governance Over the Long Haul’, International Studies Quarterly (2014).
•	‘Global governance: poorly done and poorly understood’, International Affairs (2000).


Craig Murphy – The Long Arc of Global Governance

Do our global governance systems have the capacity to effectively address the challenges we face as a civilization? What are the viable pathways towards a fairer, more sustainable and viable future? "Imperfect Utopias or Bust? Global Governance Futures" aims to present a space where these questions, and many more, can be addressed in a spirit of dialogue and exploration.

43: Philip Cunliffe – Liberal Utopianism and its Discontents

Global Governance Futures

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