Constitutional Transitions in a Changing World

Authors: Peter Reid and Asanga Welikala

This is a report of the main themes that emerged from a series of events on Constitutional Transitions in a Changing World, organised by the Edinburgh Centre for Constitutional Law and the Peace and Conflict Resolution Evidence Platform (PeaceRep) of the University of Edinburgh in February-March 2022.

The report brings these discussions together with review of secondary materials, setting out the trends in international relations that impact constitutional transitions. It sets out the ‘new’ constitutional models and features emerging out of this changing world order, particularly non-liberal constitutionalisms. The report argues that the the pressures on ‘liberal constitutional democracy’ (LCD) provide an opportunity to review the perceived and demonstrable weaknesses of the theory, doctrine, and practice of LCD in the post-Cold War world, capable of informing how LCD must respond to the emerging multipolar world order.