Political revisionism is a world-wide and historical trend often defining the nature of international relations of a certain historical period. But today, it has become more important than ever before. The rise of China, aggressions of Russia, a growing number of states that have developed or are developing nuclear weapons, the inability of the UN Security Council to handle the global security agenda, the AI revolution, mass migration, and climate change combine into a picture that is difficult to comprehend. And yet no systematic analysis exists explaining what is to expect in the global order under such extreme conditions of war, instability, and insecurity. Annually, around four thousand books on international relations are being published world-wide. This book seeks to fill the gap between a reality that is hard to explain and the theory that is no longer sufficient.

Being a study of revisionism, it is itself a revisionist book. It revisits, discusses, and uncovers the novel meaning of many basic concepts used in theorizing about international relations as we know them. Some familiar concepts are merely getting outdated, others have proven to be wrong, while still others need to be revised to understand modern reality properly. The book draws lessons from the author’s experience of practical diplomacy during 30 years as a senior Ukrainian diplomat with assignments in Tel Aviv, Washington, D.C., Ankara, and Tokyo.