At least since the end of the Cold War, U.S. policymakers and analysts have devoted considerable thought to the dissonance between existing international institutions and the shifting global order. It is now widely recognized that the emerging powers of the 21st century—such as China and India—have yet to be accommodated within the aging multilateral organizations that were forged in the aftermath of the Second World War.
China has been especially eager to bridge the gap between its newfound power and relatively limited say in multilateral institutions. Beijing has lobbied for the reform of existing institutions and worked to launch significant new groupings, like the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and, more recently, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. By building and dominating new multilateral forums, retaining its permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), and forcing procedural changes in institutions like the International Monetary Fund, Beijing is making strides toward global leadership.
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