Introduction

The end of the Cold War heralded a shift from a bipolar world order, characterised by superpower competition, to a multipolar world, characterised by considerable turbulence and an enhanced awareness of global inequality. Since the 1990s the considerable disparities between states and societies in terms of wealth, development, security and stability have become increasingly obvious, leading to a range of international initiatives to combat poverty and underdevelopment and to resolve conflicts within and between states.