ABSTRACT
Supra-national integration and sub-national disintegration are the two mutually reinforcing constituents of the post-Cold War global transformation. The consequent restructuring of the global architecture of power and authority going on since the 1990s is conceptualised in this chapter as glocalisation. The first and foremost task of any state is to protect its territorial integrity and national identity. After the collapse of communism and the demise of the Soviet Union, the centrally planned economy lost its appeal and credibility as a model of development in Asia. It is fashionable to scoff at the United Nations and the ineffectiveness of international organisations. But the world today is integrated to such an extent that people cannot do without them. Violations of international norms and acts in defiance of international law by nation-states usually get wide media publicity. International interdependence and supra-national integration are most pronounced in the realm of the environment and on the question of the ecological balance of planet earth.
