ABSTRACT
For quite some time now the global village metaphor has been served up to world public opinion, so very fond of magical formulae, with what one might suspect to be the subliminal purpose of conveying the idea that the current model of economic globalization is the only one capable of reconciling economic efficiency and fraternity amongst all peoples. Nevertheless, despite some notable achievements in many parts of the planet, the gap between rich and poor has apparently become wider rather than narrower (see Stiglitz 2006; Mazur 2004; Honey 2004). In the political sphere success seems much more unequivocal, however. Indeed, beyond a handful of anachronistic exceptions, the world seems to have surrendered to the delights of living under democracy, or at least to the convenience of being ruled by governments that have been somewhat freely elected.
