The global order is shifting in response to economic pressures, new security threats and emerging arenas of international competition. These geopolitical tectonics have the potential to destabilize the pillars of the global order, which cover international norms on nuclear nonproliferation, trade, finance, maritime cooperation and freedom of navigation, human rights and environmental protection. To renew the global order, the United States will need to partner more closely with countries with shared interests.

Of these countries, Brazil, India, Indonesia and Turkey stand out. Each nation has a strong and growing economy, a strategic location and a flourishing democracy. None has settled on a disposition toward the prevailing global order – they have yet to fully embrace the international system, reject it or offer an alternative. These “swing states” will greatly influence the shape of global politics in the coming decades. The Center for a New American Security (CNAS), in partnership with the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), is examining the emerging role of these states and how the United States and its allies can work with them to bolster a rules-based global order that promotes security, prosperity and freedom.

The Global Swing States project is led by CNAS Senior Advisor Richard Fontaine and GMF Transatlantic Fellow Daniel Kliman.