ABSTRACT
Privatizations, globalization, the rise of company power relative to state power, the assumption by states of a dual public/private character and the internationalization of the private aspect of this character are separate but intermingled trends: each has elements that have influenced the others. Imperfect privatizations and the advent of belligerent conduct by companies are among the visible results. Taken together, these phenomena are starting to transform not only states, but also the Westphalian system and its institutions in ways that will become progressively more pronounced. What exists today is a recognition that these trends are simultaneous and harmonious, and that they are thriving and expanding with little resistance. As recent phenomena in the long history of states, their combined consequences are only starting to be anticipated.
