Multilateralism at War: Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine, the G20 and World Order

ABSTRACT

This research examines the implications of war and diplomatic events for multilateralism in two spheres – governance and security. The focus is on the dynamics within the G20 since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The conceptual frame of analysis presumes that states’ practices and relations are constitutively shaped by discourses visible through the lens of governmentality and the critical security perspective. To highlight the impacts of the war in Ukraine on the G20, three countries were studied: Indonesia, Russia, and Ukraine. The authors argue firstly, that Indonesia's G20 presidency was characterised by governmentality, and secondly, that Russia framed the conflict within the broader geopolitical struggle against the West. Finally, Ukraine used hybrid approaches to embolden collective action to cope with the Russian aggression.

KEYWORDS:

• G20
• governmentality
• security
• Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
• Indonesia’s presidency
• diverse world order

Acknowledgment

Andrey Makarychev acknowledges support received from the project titled 'Transforming and Defending Multilateralism: European Union Support for more Robust, Effective and Democratic Global Governance’ (ENSURED) and funded by the Horizon scheme of the EU. I Gede Wahyu Wicaksana acknowledges the support of Universitas Airlangga International Research Collaboration Program in 2022.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Andrey Makarychev

Andrey Makarychev is Professor of Regional Political Studies at the University of Tartu Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies. He teaches courses on Foreign Policy Analysis, Political Systems in post-Soviet Space, Visual Politics, and Biopolitics. He is the author of Popular Biopolitics and Populism at Europe’s Eastern Margins (Brill, 2022), and co-authored four monographs: Celebrating Borderlands in a Wider Europe: Nations and Identities in Ukraine, Georgia and Estonia (Nomos, 2016), Lotman's Cultural Semiotics and the Political (Rowman and Littlefield, 2017), Critical Biopolitics of the Post-Soviet: from Populations to Nations (Lexington Books, 2020) and Practical Biopolitics of COVID-19: Comparing Russian and Indonesian Experiences (Lexington Books, 2023). He co-edited several academic volumes: Mega Events in post-Soviet Eurasia: Shifting Borderlines of Inclusion and Exclusion (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016), Vocabularies of International Relations after the Crisis in Ukraine (Routledge, 2017); Borders in the Baltic Sea Region: Suturing the Ruptures (Palgrave Macmillan, 2017). His articles have been published in such academic journals as Slavic Review, Journal of International Relations and Development, Political Geography, Slavic Military Review, Eurasian Geography and Economics, Alternatives, Nationalities Papers, Journal of Borderland Studies, among others.

I Gede Wahyu Wicaksana

I Gede Wahyu Wicaksana is Professor of International Politics and Security Studies in the Department of International Relations Faculty of Social and Political Sciences Universitas Airlangga Surabaya Indonesia. His research interests include Indonesian politics, security and foreign policy, ASEAN regionalism and international relations of great powers in the Indo-Pacific, and non-traditional security challenges in Southeast Asia, focusing on climate change, infectious disease and transnational terrorism. He has published in Asian Journal of Comparative Politics, Journal of Asian Security and International Affairs, The International Spectator, Contemporary Politics, Southeast Asian Affairs, International Area Studies Review, Contemporary Southeast Asia, Australian Journal of International Affairs, Asian Security, European Journal of East Asian Studies, Journal of International Relations and Development, International Relations of the Asia Pacific, and The Pacific Review, among others. His latest co-authored book titled Practical Biopolitics of COVID-19: Indonesian and Russian Experiences (Lexington Books, 2023).