The extreme instability caused by the interminable war in Ukraine, Sino-American tensions, and Trump's return to power raises an essential question: How can the states of the Global South – particularly those endowed with significant resources and full of ambition – navigate this current global turbulence? Are they succumbing to the logic of bipolarity, or are they escaping from it by amplifying their hedging power, and, in the process, making the international system more multipolar? To answer these key questions, we analyze the strategic behavior of eight states: India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, South Africa, and Brazil. Their selection is based on eight precise metrics. It is these eight key states that we call the Hedgers. They are among the countries of the Global South that have good opportunities to navigate – with some challenges – the troubled environment of what is increasingly difficult to call the 'world order.'

‘A clever and perceptive account of how US-Chinese rivalry is reshaping international relations.’

Gideon Rachman - Financial Times

‘Laïdi and Tiberghien study active hedging, i.e., strategies that more than passively respond to the currents of Great Power rivalry. The picture that emerges is rich and fascinating, and should disrupt conventional thinking on the international system.’

Danny Quah - Li Ka Shing Professor in Economics, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Singapore

‘This clear and compelling book analyzes how leading Global South states pursue hedging strategies. Timely and insightful, the book will be of much interest to both theorists and practitioners.’

T. V. Paul - Distinguished James McGill Professor, McGill University, Canada