There is hardly any aspect of social, political, and economic life today that is not also governed internationally. Drawing on debates around hierarchy, hegemony, and authority in international politics, this volume takes the study of the international 'beyond anarchy' a step further by establishing the concept of rule as the defining feature of order in the international realm. The contributors argue that the manifold conceptual approaches to sub- and superordination in the international should be understood as rich conceptualizations of one concept: rule. Rule allows constellations of sub- and superordination in the international to be seen as multiplex, systemic, and normatively ambiguous phenomena that need to be studied in the context of their interplay and consequences. This volume draws on a variety of conceptualizations of rule, exploring, in particular, the practices of rule as well as the relational and dynamic characteristics of rule in international politics.

'This ambitious volume offers a powerful and timely analysis of rule in world politics, integrating and extending theoretical debates on authority, hierarchy, and legitimacy. It brings together a group of top-notch IR theorists to help us understand the manifold shapes of rule in international relations - and why they are increasingly contested.'

Jonas Tallberg - Stockholm University