The 2003 Hellenic Presidency of the European Union: Mediterranean Perspectives on the ESD. ZEI Discussion Paper: 2003, C 128

Xenakis, Dimitris K. and Chryssochoou, Dimitris N. (2003) The 2003 Hellenic Presidency of the European Union: Mediterranean Perspectives on the ESD. ZEI Discussion Paper: 2003, C 128

Abstract

[From the Introduction]. The terrorist attacks against the US on September 11th, 2001, have ushered in a new era in international politics. The priorities of international relations, the nature of regional politics, the shape of political alliances, along with the driving purpose of US foreign policy, the nature of international cleavages, and the evolving role of military forces, including the risks of weapons of mass destruction, have all been affected by the epoch-making events. The latter have also altered the Western strategic threshold, but have not really challenged, at least fundamentally, the dominant US position in world politics, although the impact on the current US strategy debate is profound. Likewise, the overall international security paradigm remained reasonably clear-cut, in that the US dominates, in large measure, the post-Cold War international system, especially those aspects of the system dealing with security issues.