G. John Ikenberry's A World Safe for Democracy presents a sweeping reinterpretation of liberal internationalism from its nineteenth-century origins to its present crisis. Ikenberry, one of the foremost scholars of international order, argues that liberal internationalism is not simply American foreign policy dressed up in idealistic language, but a genuine and evolving tradition with deep roots in Enlightenment thinking about progress, rights, and cooperation. The book traces how liberal democracies have repeatedly sought to build international orders that would make the world hospitable to democratic governance and open commerce. Ikenberry examines key moments including the post-World War I settlement, the creation of the United Nations system, and the expansion of liberal order after the Cold War. He grapples honestly with the tradition's failures and contradictions, including its entanglement with imperialism and its sometimes messianic overreach. Yet he argues that liberal internationalism remains humanity's best hope for managing an interdependent world of sovereign states. Writing at a moment when this order faces challenges from authoritarian powers abroad and populist movements at home, Ikenberry offers both a defense of liberal principles and a reform agenda for revitalizing international cooperation. Essential reading for understanding the stakes of current debates about America's global role.