Take Back Control: Explaining the Rise of Populist Sovereigntism Through the Legitimacy Crisis of the Liberal International Order

Year 2025, Volume: 12 Issue: 3, 900 - 924, 30.09.2025

Cihan Uzunçayır

Abstract

This study relates the recent rise of populist sovereigntism to the legitimacy crisis of the liberal international order (LIO). It examines the LIO constructed after World War II based on three fundamental pillars of political, economic, and intergovernmental liberalism. It argues that a transformation occurred in all three pillars of the LIO during the post-Cold War period. It further asserts that the legitimacy-generating functioning of the LIO, established after World War II, has encountered a crisis with the transformation in the post-national liberal era. It claims that there is an intersection between the legitimacy crisis of the LIO and the rise of populist sovereigntism, emphasizing the need for their joint assessment.

Keywords

Populism , Populist Sovereigntism , Liberal International order , Legitimacy Crisis

Ethical Statement

Ethics Committee approval was not required for this study. The author declares that the study was conducted in accordance with research and publication ethics. The author confirms that AI tools are partially utilized only for writing, grammar correction, and improving the overall readability of the article. The author declares that there are no financial conflicts of interest involving any institution, organization, or individual associated with this article. The author affirms that the entire research process was performed by the sole declared author of the study.

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