In essence, the new world order comprises a set of social, economic, political, geographic and cultural realities that govern relations within the international community and among its components—countries, peoples, individuals and civil society organizations. These realities, however, do not interact in a global vacuum; instead, they affect, and are affected by the prominent actors and components of this system, and particularly the single pole that dominates international politics and the aforementioned hierarchy of the new world order, as shown in Figure 1 (p. 55) of this book.

Recent circumstances have prompted the United States of America to rely on ‘strategic partnerships,’ forging international alliances to face regional and global threats—for example, the US-led international military alliance of 34 countries that repelled the Iraq occupation of Kuwait on August 2, 1990, as well as the international coalition to fight global terrorism. However, the United States of America can be expected to rely increasingly on unilateralism in imposing its global policy in the coming decades, seeking to create the world it desires. This will apply particularly in cases where international consensus cannot be achieved, in order to maintain the US status as the only superpower but without abandoning its approach of forging joint alliances to face security challenges and risks which threaten international security, stability and its interests.