ABSTRACT
The world is witnessing profound and irreversible changes, as reflected by a series of severe crises that range from the international financial crisis, the ensuing economic crisis and the sovereign debt crises, to the political and social crises which have shaken several regimes, pushing some of them to the breaking point. Even though some countries are doing better than others, finding a general way out of the crisis is far from being imminent. Getting out of the crisis will take time, and the current predicament will leave its mark at several levels.
