Fred Dallmayr is Packey J. Dee Professor Emeritus in philosophy and political science at the University of Notre Dame. Akif Kayapinar is assistant professor of political science and international relations at Istanbul Sehir University. Ismail Yaylaci is a doctoral candidate in political science at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.

• Foreword: Civilizational Revival in the Global AgeAhmet DavutogluIntroductionFred Dallmayr, M. Akif Kayapinar and Ismail YaylaciPart I: Geopolitics and World Order1. Geopolitical Turmoil and Civilizational PluralismRichard Falk2. Civilization as Instrument of World Order? The Role of the Civilizational Paradigm in the Absence of a Balance of PowerHans Köchler3. Power in the Analysis of World OrdersRaymond Duvall and Çigdem Çidam4. International Society, Cultural Diversity, and the Clash (or Dialogue) of CivilizationsChris BrownPart II: Eurocentrism and Cultural Difference5.The Formative Parameters of Civilizations: A Theoretical and Historical FrameworkAhmet Davutoglu6.Western Democrats, Oriental Despots?S. Sayyid7.The Ottoman Empire and the Global Muslim Identity in the Formation of Eurocentric World Order, 1815-1919Cemil Aydin8.Beyond the “Enlightenment Mentality”: An Anthropocosmic PerspectiveTu WeimingPart III: Liberalism, Global and Regional Orders9.Globalization, Civilizations, and World OrderRobert Gilpin10.Liberalism of Restraint and Liberalism of Imposition: Liberal Values and World Order in the New MillenniumGeorg Sørensen11.The Rise of a Neo-medieval Order in EuropeJan Zielonka12.Illusions, Dreams and Nightmares: Japan, the United States, and the East Asian Renaissance in the First Decade of the New CenturyJohn Welfield

Every so often a book comes our way which challenges us to think outside the box. This rich collection of essays does just that. Each author, while reflecting his own distinctive philosophical and cultural standpoint, addresses two questions which go to the heart of our current predicament. Given the steady decline of Western political and cultural hegemony side by side with accelerating globalization, what are the prospects of constructing a relatively peaceful world order? Is civilizational difference part of the problem or part of the solution? The answers are diverse, often provocative, and invariably insightful.