Possibilities for a Cooperative Future: Toward a Participatory and Democratic 21st Century

Abstract

The election of Donald Trump to the United States presidency has already had far reaching implications for US foreign policy and the countries of the world affected by US actions. The administration has defunded and dismantled many of the post-World War II institutions such as USAID that served as pillars of US “soft power.” In their place, is an even more aggressive “America First” nationalist military posture toward Venezuela, Iran, and elsewhere. It is not a foregone conclusion, but this US retreat offers the possibilities that multilateral, pluralistic, and democratic forms of global governance can be strengthened as an alternative to the militaristic unilateralism of the US. In this paper, I sketch some of those possibilities. For example, we can look to the lessons offered by the global civil society and government-led push by South Africa and Spain to seek justice for Palestinians in Gaza. If we can (re)commit to strengthening institutions such as the International Criminal Court, the International Court of Justice, and the United Nations, along with developing new forms of transborder, participatory democracy, we can create a 21st century that leaves behind the exclusionary nationalism of the 20th century.

Presenters

Jared Keyel
Assistant Professor, Sociology and Anthropology, Rowan University, New Jersey, United States

Details

Presentation Type

Paper Presentation in a Themed Session

Theme

2026 Special Focus—Bridging Boundaries: Collaborative Solutions to Complex Social Issues in an Interconnected World

KEYWORDS

Multilateralism, Cooperation, Global Governance, Civil Society