Geopolitical Economy ─ After US Hegemony, Globalization and Empire

Geopolitical Economy challenges two key concepts in international relations theory – "globalization" and "empire." Drawing on global traditions of contestation and dissent from below, Radhika Desai argues that these concepts have obscured our understanding of the evolution and dynamics of the world capitalist order. Against theories which describe globalization and empire liberating humanity and enabling free movement and trade, Desai shows us how the global economy continues to be shaped by political jurisdictions, competing nation-states and multiple social divisions. As the dust of the financial and economic crisis clears to reveal the collapse of US hegemony and the emergence of a multi-polar world, Desai analyses the landscape of the current world order. Geopolitical Economy cuts a clear path through the myths of the dominant theories of political economy and international relations.