What Is the Nature of World Politics Now? Students today live in an era of fragmentation in which the interests of individual states have been challenged by the competing ideals of globalization. Essentially, globalization encourages greater movement and cooperation between countries. This global phenomenon blurs the line between domestic and international concerns—driving nations economically, socially, and politically toward ever greater and deeper integration and interdependence. Globalization has both advantages and disadvantages. Take, for example, the 2008 recession in the United States, which quickly spread throughout Europe and became a global economic crisis. Most countries are experiencing a fragile recovery from the recession, but the consequences have been devastating and will be longlasting. Issues of national security have also arisen, with European countries adjusting domestic policies to respond to the threats being posed by disaffected young Muslim immigrants. The resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan and rising civil strife in Pakistan present huge challenges in that region, compounded by a burgeoning narcotics trade. Al Qaeda continues its efforts to network with, fund, and mobilize terrorists around the globe. The sixth edition of this book aims to refl ect the changes for good and for ill that have occurred since the collapse of the Berlin Wall more than two decades ago—a poignant example of globalization. Seeking to distinguish the time period by what it is rather than by what it is not, we have teased out the competing threads of globalization and fragmentation, examining how they tangle and weave through studies of global politics, economics, and culture, with their signifi cance and effects boosted over the 1990s and early 2000s by technological advances. By introducing these studies with theory and then supporting them with history, we have created a book that should serve as a comprehensive, contemporary, and thoughtprovoking text for introductory courses on world politics. Organization This volume is designed to provide students with the basic knowledge and skills needed to appreciate the full range of international politics in contemporary affairs. This edition is divided into two parts. In the fi rst half of the book, “Foundations