Abstract

After the collapse of the Berlin Wall, experts of international politics began to emphasize the importance of multilateralism. Rather than re-evaluate the role of international organizations such as the United Nations, they focused their attention on the Congress of Vienna. What those experts saw, in the model of the Congress, was an alternative to the resolute unilateral attitude adopted by the American superpower in managing some regional crises (e.g. the First Gulf War and the collapse of Yugoslavia). According to some, the idea that an international order for «Governing the World» (Mark Mazower) should be established, originated during the Conference of Vienna. This essay examines the recent Anglo-Saxon debate on the Congress of Vienna as the antecedent of the system of summits and conferences (G8, G20) and of multilateral partnerships.