Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In an upcoming essay for Foreign Policy, Charles A. Kupchan makes the case that a historic diffusion of power is underway. Regional groupings are growing in importance, setting the stage for a world order that will be led from the bottom-up. But a measure of top-down governance will still remain essential. Kupchan proposes the creation of a high-level brain trust resembling the 19th century Concert of Europe, which would step in to resolve disputes between world powers and sit above a currently paralyzed United Nations.
How would such a system work in practice? Kupchan discussed his idea, adapted from his forthcoming book “Bringing Order to Anarchy,” on FP Live.
Watch the interview at ForeignPolicy.com: foreignpolicy.com/live/charles-kupchan-save-global-order
0:00 Intro
2:28 What’s wrong with global order?
4:07 Regionalization of the international system
8:50 The efficacy of regional institutions
11:08 A new ‘Concert of Europe’
16:53 The functions of a concert system
19:09 Enforcement mechanisms
21:28 Interference by great powers
23:50 Spheres of influence
27:00 Russia and Ukraine
30:06 The war in Iran
32:41 Tolerating ideological differences
36:06 How to create the concert
On the go? Listen to FP Live as a podcast at link.chtbl.com/foreignpolicylivepodcast or wherever you get your podcasts.
FP Live is Foreign Policy's forum for live journalism that brings leading foreign-policy experts and thinkers together to analyze the world's biggest events. Visit foreignpolicy.com/live for the full conversation and more live journalism from Foreign Policy.
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In an upcoming essay for Foreign Policy, Charles A. Kupchan makes the case that a historic diffusion of power is underway. Regional groupings are growing in importance, setting the stage for a world order that will be led from the bottom-up. But a measure of top-down governance will still remain essential. Kupchan proposes the creation of a high-level brain trust resembling the 19th century Concert of Europe, which would step in to resolve disputes between world powers and sit above a currently paralyzed United Nations.
How would such a system work in practice? Kupchan discussed his idea, adapted from his forthcoming book “Bringing Order to Anarchy,” on FP Live.
Watch the interview at ForeignPolicy.com: foreignpolicy.com/live/charles-kupchan-save-global-order
0:00 Intro
2:28 What’s wrong with global order?
4:07 Regionalization of the international system
8:50 The efficacy of regional institutions
11:08 A new ‘Concert of Europe’
16:53 The functions of a concert system
19:09 Enforcement mechanisms
21:28 Interference by great powers
23:50 Spheres of influence
27:00 Russia and Ukraine
30:06 The war in Iran
32:41 Tolerating ideological differences
36:06 How to create the concert
On the go? Listen to FP Live as a podcast at link.chtbl.com/foreignpolicylivepodcast or wherever you get your podcasts.
FP Live is Foreign Policy's forum for live journalism that brings leading foreign-policy experts and thinkers together to analyze the world's biggest events. Visit foreignpolicy.com/live for the full conversation and more live journalism from Foreign Policy.
Subscribe to Foreign Policy's Youtube Channel: youtube.com/channel/UC1x_EgZtYkAzVavuONBrLZQ?sub_confirmation=1
Visit foreignpolicy.com to read the latest global news and analysis from FP.
Follow Foreign Policy:
X - twitter.com/ForeignPolicy
Instagram - instagram.com/foreignpolicymag
Facebook - facebook.com/foreign.policy.magazine
LinkedIn - linkedin.com/company/foreign-policy-magazine
TikTok - tiktok.com/@foreignpolicymagazine
