Pillars of Globalization

Globalisation as a process has been effecting human civilisations since the beginning of documented history. Where this process has brought us and where it is leading our policies, our security, and our future largely depends on the decisions that states take today. This publication also emphasises that for globalisation to benefit humanity, the three major cultures of the world (Eastern cultures, Arab-Islamic cultures, and Western cultures), along with others, have to unite and uphold the world together (represented diagrammatically on the front cover) and not separately from one another. Three diagnostic tools provide the means for measuring the impact of globalisation from a number of perspectives and outline what we can expect for the future of the international system. The proposed timeline of globalisation is very comprehensive and provides unique historical insights that are not focused only on events in Western civilisations. The reader will be surprised at their relevance to todays world events and their depth. In defining globalisation, the authors provide an innovative and inclusive yet simple new definition of globalisation which states that : "Globalisation is a process that encompasses the causes, course, and consequences of transnational and transcultural integration of human and non-human activities." The authors also provide the basis for careful analysis and conceptualisation through the use of an innovative globalisation matrix designed to predict patterns and policy as states handle the effects of this process as well as matrices for security and stability. This book provides an evolutionary and encyclopaedic reference to this vital concept and should provide a cornerstone for any further study when assessing the impact of globalisation on our historical, modern, and future world.

Table of Contents:
The Pillars of Globalisation; Definitions of Globalisation: A Comprehensive Overview and a Proposed Definition; Historical Milestones of Globalisation; Proposal for a Globalisation Matrix: Quantifying Impacts and Responses; Proposal for a Stability Matrix; Proposal for a Security Matrix; The Future of Globalisation; Index.

About the Author :
Dr Nayef R F Al-Rodhan is Senior Scholar in Geostrategy and Director of the Program on the Geopolitical Implications of Globalization and Transnational Security at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, Geneva, Switzerland.

Review :
"The New Millennium requires new thinking about Globalisation. The 'Pillars of Globalisation' with its innovative methods of inquiry reflect this new and thought-provoking approach to the understanding of relations and interconnections among states, societies and humans in today's global setting." -- Dr Fred Tanner, Director, Geneva Centre for Security Policy, Geneva, Switzerland "Globalisation has become a fact of life - in all human activities. It is useless to be for or against it. This book gives you a good insight into a very complicated problem." -- Ambassador Edouard Brunner, President of the Foundation Council of the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of the Armed Forces and former Swiss Ambassador to the United States "This is a timely contribution to the globalisation literature. With growing apprehensions about migration, terrorism, pandemics, and armed conflict, and as multilateral trade negotiations flounder, researchers and policy makers are taking a harder look at the future direction of globalisation. As they do so, they will find this clear and insightful book to be essential reading in providing them with an understanding of the meaning of globalisation, with a sense of its origins, and with innovative approaches to assessing globalisation issues, especially as they relate to international security and stability." -- Dr John M Treddenick, Professor of Economics, College of International and Security Studies, George C Marshall European Center for Security Studies