From Postnational Liberalism to Postliberal Nationalism

Abstract This chapter contends that “deep contestations” have a longer history as they originate in the deepening of the liberal international order (LIO) after the end of the Cold War. As the United States and its allies deepened the LIO’s liberal structures without making it more inclusive, they sidelined postcolonial and postsocialist states from shaping the rules they were expected to follow. This exclusion led to backlash and empowered postliberal nationalists to challenge the LIO’s legitimacy. The chapter uses the European Union (EU) as a case study, illustrating how the EU prioritized institutional deepening over inclusivity, notably through the Maastricht Treaty and subsequent integration efforts. These choices, alongside rigid responses to the Euro and migration crises, turned normal contestations into deep ones and foundational challenges. The chapter concludes by arguing that Europe’s ability to step up and fill the void left by the US departing from the LIO is contingent on its willingness to address postliberal contestations with greater inclusiveness.