ABSTRACT
A 'global causal agent', globalization, continues to trigger these shifts. It is understood as the aggregate outcome of market-related actors, behaving in their respective fields, branches and regions as rational utility maximizers, in the sense of maintaining and enhancing their respective market positions. The Cold War system, as it was known between 1948 and 1989, was often criticized for its inherent risks in the realm of security. The ongoing arms race and the inherent and unsolvable security dilemma created a latent feeling of uncertainty. In an attempt to structure this widened actor spectrum, four groups of actors can be singled out: state related, market related, society related, and international actors. Governments, sub-national administrative entities cities and sovereign wealth funds, to name just the most important entities; belong to the category of state related actors. The term multilevel game was coined for describing and understanding the political workings in the EU.
