The world faces a period of profound instability and uncertainty. Ukraine and Israel desperately need western support to defend themselves against brazen adversaries that seek their annihilation. China is intensifying its effort to retake the island democracy of Taiwan and a new cold war between America and China is under way. Meanwhile, the US faces serious challenges: public cynicism about  almost all institutions, a deeply divided and polarised public discourse, an excessive debt and budget deficit, an expensive and overstretched military. Any great power that spends more on debt service than on defence will not stay great for very long. What does all this mean for the rules-based liberal international order that has shaped global affairs for generations?