The Liberal International Order and International Borders in the Twenty-First Century

Abstract Borders—long essential for defining political authority and coordinating social identity—are increasingly sites of deep contestation in the twenty-first century. This chapter examines how the liberal international order (LIO) both relies on and destabilizes the institution of territorial borders. As global integration and human mobility accelerate, core liberal states face growing tensions between commitments to tighter border control and human rights. These contradictions have stoked rising “border anxiety,” especially in the Global North, leading to political polarization, physical border fortification, and institutional drift from universalist norms. Drawing on discourse analysis, public opinion, and policy shifts—particularly in the United States—this chapter discusses evidence of deep contestation over how international borders should be governed in the face of growing human mobility. The foundational compromise between territorial sovereignty and liberal universalism, which was never a perfect fit, is fraying, with profound consequences for the governance of borders, migration, and rights.