Transitional Orders in World Politics

Abstract The current international landscape is marked by the decline of established global and regional orders without the full emergence of new ones. We argue that this “time-in-between” is characterized by transitional orders—interim configurations of power, norms, and governance that emerge as actors respond to systemic disruptions and shifting global dynamics. While International Relations (IR) scholarship has extensively studied the rise and fall of international orders, it has paid less attention to the transitional phases themselves. This special forum addresses that gap by conceptualizing transitional orders as dynamic configurations defined by four interrelated characteristics: uncertainty, temporality, intentionality, and strategic ambiguity. We thus distinguish transitional orders from related concepts such as crisis, change, or transformation, and highlight the significance of intentional versus unintentional transitions. Rather than assuming fixed endpoints or normative visions of the future, we focus on how transitional orders unfold empirically, shaping and being shaped by actors, interests, processes, and institutions. This introduction sets the analytical frame for the contributions in this forum, which explores transitional orders across diverse empirical contexts to advance a more precise understanding of order-making in periods of flux.