ABSTRACT
The global security situation cannot be said to be threatened by the prospect of a war between major powers, but there are enough causes to keep tensions brewing between them, and to keep alive the possibility of wars between major powers and middle powers. The dominant feature of the international security landscape seems to be the contending endeavours of major powers to expand their control and influence in energy-rich areas of the world. Nuclear weapons powers want to maintain their monopoly of nuclear weapons, technology and materials, and in the name of non-proliferation deny it to others. There is a sharp divergence between the perceptions of the US and Russia on major global security issues. China's continued emphasis on massive enhancement of its military capability without obvious justification has become a noteworthy feature of world politics.
