Why is the Liberal International Order unraveling and will this lead to global disorder? Broken Cycleexplores this urgent question by viewing international politics through a dynamic lens focused on the rise and fall of great powers whose periodic global wars determine who rules and which ideas and values prevail in the reordered international system. Randall L. Schweller uncovers recurring patterns of change, offering a framework to anticipate the contours of the emerging world. Rather than tracking short-term diplomatic shifts, this book seeks the deeper rhythms of history cycles of growth, expansion, and decline that shape international politics over centuries. These patterns are not inevitable, but they are powerful. By understanding them, we gain insight into the forces driving today\’s dissent and tomorrow\’s possibilities. This is a study of the structural forces that govern change, the crises that break the old order, and the ideas that rise in its place.

• Introduces the Long Cycle theory to explain patterns of global power over time, and identifies today\’s structural system as one of unbalanced bipolarity
• Traces the history of 500 years of international politics, from 1496 to the present, to identify the four core features shaping contemporary world politics
• Explores a relaxed balance-of-power system and provides a clear framework for interpreting the trajectory of Sino-American relations