A World Order Perspective on Authoritarian Tendencies *

Abstract

The paper starts from the premise that because nation-states are the most important actors in the international arena, and also because world order both feeds on and feeds national political situations, a close look into the internal life (including the structures of power and governance) of the states is indispensable for an understanding of the existing world order as for evolving a strategy for changing it into one more just and peaceful. It is concerned about the growing global trend toward authoritarian regimes - mostly in the countries of the South but also in those of the North. It classifies authoritarian governance into various types, traces the roots and causes of each, uncovers the links of each with external powers, and spells out their impact on world order. It then identifies the actors whose help can be recruited in the endeavour to restructure the existing world order, and suggests concrete steps that can be taken in that behalf.