External publications

In search of a Plan B: like-minded internationalism and the future of Global development

Ishmael, Len / Stephan Klingebiel / Andy Sumner
External Publications (2025)

in: Global Policy, first published 20.08.2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-5899.70076
Open access

The international landscape in mid-2025 is characterized by a retreat from liberal institutionalism, exemplified by the United States' withdrawal from the Sustainable Development Goals and its adoption of transactional, power-based international relations, as well as its potential withdrawal from some multilateral bodies. In this context, this paper argues that traditional models of universal multilateralism are increasingly untenable, and that new forms of collective action grounded in shared interests and normative alignment are both necessary and feasible. This paper revisits and applies the historically rooted concept of “like-minded internationalism,” arguing for its renewed relevance under current geopolitical conditions.