ABSTRACT
A word of caution. Had we been trying to anticipate the next world order in 1914, we might well have been far too optimistic. The Western world appeared to be composed of democracies and authoritarian regimes that were moving slowly but surely in that direction. Within these nations, even the worst, the rule of law was gaining. On the Continent, the leading nations were connected by ties among the ruling families, and those who called themselves civilized possessed most of the world's wealth and scientific competence. All that was required to make this area into a zone of peace and democracy was a negative – refraining from making war until an already reasonably liberal Germany became democratic. Soon enough, however, the male youth of the Western world lined up, as it were, to machine-gun each other. We give no guarantees that democracies will not overcome their inherent resistance to fighting other democracies. The next international order will be confusing, bloody and frightening, but it will be an immense improvement compared to all previous world orders, and especially compared to the twentieth century.
