*Originally published in 2022 and preserved as part of our archive project. E-International Relations is free to read. We rely on reader support to make this possible.

Chris Ogden is a Senior Lecturer in Asian Affairs at the University of St Andrews, where he teaches on the international relations of China, India and the broader Indo-Pacific region. His research interests concern the interplay between foreign and domestic policy influences in East Asia (primarily China) and South Asia (primarily India), Hindu nationalism and the BJP, emergent great powers, world order and global authoritarianism. Chris' most recent books concern The Authoritarian Century: China’s Rise and the Demise of the Liberal International System (Bristol UP, 2022), and an edited 15 Chapter book on Global India: The Pursuit of Influence and Status (Routledge, 2023). He has published numerous peer-reviewed articles on Asian international affairs, as well as several policy briefs, provides comment to various global media bodies on Asian security issues, and gives myriad public talks.

Where do you see the most exciting research/debates happening in your field?

The biggest debates from my perspective within contemporary IR revolve around major changes to the international order. Changes to the balance of power between the leading actors underpin this dynamic (mainly China versus the United States but also with an emergent India having an impact), as well as how these shifts are resulting in fundamental changes between regions. The clearest example here is the continued ascendancy of Asia, and the relative decline of the West, as more and more economic activity is being focused upon the Indo-Pacific region. The steady translation of this economic power into military, institutional and diplomatic power is speeding up this shift, and indicating the potential curtailment of the Western-led liberal international order.

Apart from making us think about what world order actually is, who decides its parameters, and how cultural values and identities impact upon these terms of reference, there also appears to be a clear authoritarian tilt occurring. Most often we associate this with China and Russia, but more and more we can see domestic autocratic proclivities being apparent in established democracies from the US and India to the UK and Japan. In my most recent research, these simultaneous currents are not only debasing democracy globally but are signalling a wider convergence around authoritarianism. In time, I believe this will see a Pax Autocratica surmounting Pax Democratica, thus heralding a new form of world order that is, in the main, China-centric and China-inspired.

How has the way you understand the world changed over time, and what (or who) prompted the most significant shifts in your thinking?

In my research and teaching I try to keep an as open a mind as possible concerning how I regard and analyse IR. Often this is to the consternation of my students, but we should remember that IR theory is a useful toolbox that is able to provide us with very differing perspectives on the same issue. The book that really shaped my thinking is this regard was Peter Katzenstein’s The Culture of National Security that argued for understanding and appreciating state-specific, and identity-based, viewpoints on how security and foreign policy are formulated and implemented. Robert Jervis’ Perception and Misperception in International Politics was also highly formative for me. 

It is also vital to remember that the world is in considerable flux as relative power balances shift and change. Underpinning this perspective is that in recent years, we have had many totally unexpected events such as the election of Donald Trump as US President, the UK’s Brexit referendum and the Covid-19 pandemic. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia was also something that appeared to counteract much teaching in strategic studies, which had claimed that conquest was now effectively taboo. We would all do well to remember these events and not take any prevalent conditions in IR as given or inalienable. Everything is in flux and we need to always think as such – by having such flexibility and open-ness, IR as a discipline can be much enhanced/improved.

What are the key values of China’s authoritarianism? What........

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