When communism collapsed in 1989 there was a fundamental change in the European state system. A new form of international order emerged, in which states maintain alliances in peace time as well as wartime, interfere in each other's domestic affairs and accept the jurisdiction of international courts. Put simply, these states are less absolute in their sovereignty and independence than before.
In this landmark book, Robert Cooper sets out his radical interpretation of the new order that has emerged from the debris of communism. He argues that there are now three types of states - such as China, Brazil and India - that straightforwardly pursue their national interests; and 'post-modern' states, such as those of the EU and Japan, that operate on the basis of openness, law and mutual security. The United States, Cooper shows, has yet to decide whether to embrace the 'post-modern' world of interdependence, or pursue unilateralism and power politics.
