We have selected four essays from the SSRC collection on "New World Order," which we believe are particularly accessible and thought-provoking for advanced high school students and undergraduates.

"Theorizing Islam"
by Richard W. Bulliet

Synopsis: Richard Bulliet considers that the theoretical assumptions guiding US policy in the Middle East have ignored the central role that Islam has played in shaping political outcomes throughout the region in the past half decade. By dismissing the role of Islam in these modern societies and pursuing only national interest in the Middle East, policymakers have sewn the seeds of the current crisis. He argues that only once this fact is recognized that the dangerous situation in the Middle East can be addressed.

"The End of the Unipolar World Moment: September 11th and the Future of World Order"
by Steve Smith

Synopsis: Writing soon after September 11, Steve Smith argues that the events of September 11 brought to an end the "uni-polar moment" during which the US was the sole superpower. He predicts that US policy will be more multilateral in approach and more international in focus, and that it will be able to impose its leadership on its allies under the theme of war on terrorism. He cautions the United States not to act unilaterally to eradicate the terrorist threat, or characterize this conflict as a war against Islam, which would only further inflame the situation.

"Beyond Conflicting Powers' Politics"
by Luiz Carlos Bresser-Pereira

Synopsis: According to Luiz Carlos Bresser-Pereira, the events of September 11 changed the way the world is seen. World powers no longer consider possible military attack by other nation-states as the major threats to security. Instead terrorism, the drug trade, financial instability, etc. pose the greatest danger to nation-states. He argues that in order to eradicate these universal threats, world powers will seek to cooperate with one another. At the same time, rules of international trade, finance and immigration will come to define international relations. He foresees that, in coming centuries, institutions for world governance will evolve from this new form of international politics.

"Living with the Hegemon"
by William Wallace

Synopsis: William Wallace evaluates American hegemony (i.e., the predominant influence of a state over another or others) and the European response to it in terms of military and economic dominance, as well as "soft power" (i.e., acceptance of the US's dominance as legitimate by those who are dominated, namely the rest of the world). He considers that American hegemony will continue in world affairs, but warns that current levels of European political and economic support for American-led initiatives is unlikely to continue if Europeans do not feel that they have a say in formulating so-called "multilateral" policies.