AFTER ORDER________________________
3. Fragmented Sovereignties and the Politics of Disorder
How has the dispersion of sovereignty among state and non-state actors — such as mercenaries, religious groups, mafias, and parastate militias — reshaped authority, the exercise of power, and the political economy that underpins it?
This research stream of After Order project investigates how today’s political order relies on an increasingly decentralised distribution of power, and how this reconfiguration has resulted in a system in which political authority is exercised through violence. We observe how “legitimate” authorities – increasingly coercive and autocratic – now share the prerogative of sovereignty with non-state actors, such as corporations, paramilitary groups, and even criminal organisations.
Fragmented sovereignties examines how the disorder that results from this dispersion of power is managed. We explore how new forms of power emerge at the edges of legitimacy, and where disorder is also invoked by old, autocratic platforms, now standing on the disruption, capture and destruction of the democratic state.
Many contemporary authoritarian movements now arise within liberal democracies, claiming electoral legitimacy while undermining democratic choice. As these new authoritarian political actors gain influence and popular support, they reclaim sovereignty as a powerful banner to justify their disruptive rule, challenging any established order – international or constitutional.
By listening to diverse voices from both the Global South and North, this research stream reflects on the deepening crisis of authority, the spread of violent disorder and the growing normalisation of democratic breakdown.
Latest News:
Apartheid fetishism
This article Apartheid fetishism was published by The New Statesman and is part of Alameda’s After Order project. ___ Led by Elon Musk, the right
Warfare in a Box
This article Warfare in a Box was published by The Baffler and is part of Alameda’s After Order project. Executive Outcomes and the making of
Another Kingpin Falls, Nothing Changes
This article Another Kingpin Falls, Nothing Changes is published in full by Jacobin and is part of Alameda’s After Order project. ___ The killing of
The Autocracy Network
As we seek to forge a new left internationalism, we must acknowledge what we’re up against — a global far-right network that subverts and parodies inherited
We’re Now in the Sopranos Stage of Imperialism
This article We’re Now in the Sopranos Stage of Imperialism is published in full by Jacobin and is part of Alameda’s After Order project. ___ The attack
Sovereigns of Brazil
Who exercises decision-making power over the country’s direction? ___ This article was originally published in portuguese by Piauí. ___ To be sure, the martial execution
A Lawless Trump Administration Runs Amok in the Caribbean
This article A Lawless Trump Administration Runs Amok in the Caribbean is published in full in Jacobin and is part of Alameda’s After Order project.
Coordinators
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Ben Fogel
English (UK) 
Português do Brasil 