Russia and the liberal order: from contestation to antagonism.

The article analyzes Russia's large-scale war against Ukraine as a radical rupture in the liberal international order (LIO), conceptualizing it as an expansion of antagonism rather than mere contestation. Drawing on neo-Gramscian poststructuralist theory, it argues that Russia's denial of Ukraine's sovereignty transformed Russia from a legitimate contestant within the LIO into an antagonistic outcast, prompting a reciprocal exclusion by Western actors who now view Russia as an existential foe. While Russia continues to invoke liberal norms rhetorically, its aggressive actions and the resulting stigmatization of Russian identity have deepened the antagonistic divide, with significant implications for global democracy, pluralism, and the future of international order. The article emphasizes the performative nature of international order and suggests that mobilizing the power of antagonism toward broad anti-war coalitions is crucial to addressing the ongoing conflict and its wider repercussions.