Multiplexity 2.0: power and pluralism in the post-liberal age

Abstract This article, and the special section in International Affairs it introduces, ask: how can we best read the post-liberal era of world politics? The resurgence of hard power has led many to turn to realism, even as a liberal lens reveals key features of the world we inherited. Meanwhile, diverse state and non-state actors around the globe are (re)asserting their voices in international affairs. This introduction to the special section builds on Amitav Acharya's work to offer a vision of ‘multiplexity 2.0’ that captures the interface of hard power, soft power and global diversity. It does so by unpacking the key components of Acharya's concept—‘multiplicity’ and ‘complexity’. Doing so, we contend, captures: 1) the rapidly multiplying set of actors, ideas and structural forces shaping our system's transformation, while 2) reading the interactions between these parameters through the lens of complexity theory. A ‘multiplicity + complexity = multiplexity 2.0’ approach captures non-linear, multidirectional patterns for an ultimately more ‘realistic’ reading of world (dis)order.