ABSTRACT
As Homo geopoliticus enters into a period characterized by a highly uneven polycentrism, in which centers of power possess highly uneven force capabilities and political and economic influence, and differing degrees of irredentist and revisionist claims, a reassessment of global security and development concerns is imperative. A new security consensus and geopolitical framework involving more concerted or multilateral policies and the restructuring of the global system must be forged in order to meet the needs of the twenty-first century, in order to prevent the possibility of the continued widening of regional wars, if not the possibility of wars among the major powers. In effect, the apparent cycles of previous global wars in which a core power begins to decline from its position of leadership or “hegemony” in the global system, and is challenged by new and differing kinds of upstarts or ascendant rivals, must be broken.
