Today our world is at a critical juncture. The recent financial crisis, which erupted in August 2008 in the United States and caused a global economic crisis, is just one dimension of the crisis affecting our world. The crisis is not only economic in nature. The crisis is systemic, meaning it is related to the system by which globalization operates, both ideologically and economically, socially, environmentally, and energetically.

To avoid polarization and greater insecurity in the world, the search for a new governance of globalization is required. Strengthening the multilateral role of international organizations and redirecting their policies to become real and effective actors in combating harmful activities resulting from uncontrolled globalization (e.g., speculation, money laundering, crime), promoting the development process in poor countries, protecting the global environment, and controlling population explosion are prerequisites for the smooth functioning of the globalized system.

The book analyzes the developments of the international system, particularly the crisis of the external and defense policies of the United States; the role of new powers and the possibility of the emergence of a new multipolar system, in which other major powers (e.g., Japan, EU), as well as emerging powers (e.g., China, India, Brazil), will play an increasingly important role. The analytical framework of economic globalization and its driving forces - to the extent that the forces dominating the globalized system are, beyond powerful governments, multinational companies, international organizations, and regional economic organizations.

Finally, the causes of the energy, demographic, and environmental crisis plaguing our planet are explored, as well as the problems and prospects for a better response to these global challenges.