The rise of the Second World

Parag Khanna, a member of the political think tank The New America Foundation, believes G8 summits are obsolete in the globalised world and argues Europe should play a stronger role: "Where do we get the notion that a central authority ... could set the tone in a globalised world? Globalisation follows ... decentralisation. Power, technology and knowledge are all being decentralised. They migrate primarily ... to states one could call the new 'Second World', the next international set after the very rich and powerful. This comprises the rising powers in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Latin America, in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. ... What we will see is a multi-polarity of non-Western powers, in which economic growth does not automatically bring freedom and human rights. Europe will play a special role as a sort of hyper or network state between the US and China. ... It is high time the Europeans started thinking and acting for themselves. To this end the EU must become strong and capable of strategic action."

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