Formanyliberalcommentatorsattheturnofthe1990s,thecollapseoftheSovietUnionrepresentedafinalvictoryforWesternreasonandcapitalistdemocracy.But,inrecentyears,liberalnormsandinstitutionsassociatedwiththepost-ColdWarmomenthavebeenchallengedbyavisceralandaffectivepolitics.Electorateshaveincreasinglyoptedforaclosinginwardsofthenation-state,notjustinthedemocraticheartlandsofEuropeandNorthAmerica,butalsoontheperipheryoftheworldeconomy.Asthepopularappealofthe’opensociety’isthrownintoquestion,itisnecessarytorevisitassumptionsaboutthepermanenceofitsenablingpoliticalandethicalprojects.PreviouslypromotedbytheUSanditsalliesasanecessarycomplementtoliberalcapitalistcultureandtheglobalizationofmarkets,humanitarianmultilateralismseemstohaveloststrategiccurrency.Inthiscollectionofessays,publicintellectuals,scholars,journalistsandaidworkersreflectontherelationshipbetweenhumanitarianismand’liberalorder’.Whatrolehashumanitarianismplayedinprocessesofliberalordering?Amidstchallengestoliberalorder,whataretheimplicationsforthepoliticaleconomyofhumanitarianism,andforthepracticesofhumanitarianagencies?
