ABSTRACT
This chapter concerns the possibilities of international relations through the lens of the literature of science fiction. The literature of science fiction and fantasy share some common themes, but the 'real' in science and the 'unreal' in fantasy generate problems. The Strategic Defence Initiative was designed to intercept long range incoming missiles aimed at the United States. Colatrella in an article in American Literary History makes a useful point in suggesting that the grandiose content of science fiction in the information age is increasingly seen as becoming mainstream: it being consumed in various genres. The repeated warnings from the Home Office in Britain and the State Department in the United States concerning potential terrorist threats arising from al Qaida and other groups read like the contents of a science fiction novel. The future of international relations poses numerous difficulties in the organization of politics, economics and society.
