[ARTICLE INTRODUCTION] The Rules-Based International Order and the Role of Middle and Small States

In recent years, the "rules-based international order" has become a frequently discussed issue among countries worldwide and often appears in national policy documents, the agendas and declarations of international institutions, as well as in many analyses by the media and researchers on international relations. The general view is that this is a result of major geo-political shifts and adjustments in the policies and relationships among the world's leading major powers recently. Nations generally agree that the international system needs to operate according to an order; however, which order, whose order, and who should lead it is increasingly becoming an issue of great public concern.

The article "The Rules-Based International Order and the Role of Middle and Small States" was published in Communist Review, Issue 972 (8-2021).

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dang Cam Tu is the Deputy Director of the Institute for Foreign and Strategic Studies – Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam.