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10.

Strategic Triad of the New Era

VLADIMIR PETROVSKY
UNITED NATIONS UNDER-SECRETORY-GENERAL
DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS OFFICE OF GENEVA
OPENING LECTURE
IN THE SERIES "IN SEARCH OF A NEW WORLD ORDER: OUTLOOK
AND OBSTACLES",
THE GRADUATE INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

Geneva, 10 November 1993

Ladies and Gentlemen,

1. International politics is, and always has been, one of the most vibrant,

dynamic and difficult to predict spheres of human activity. However,
the peculiarity of the contemporary political situation in the world is
that change is taking place on an unprecedented scale. The current
transformation of the international political system is exceptionally fast and
comprehen5ive, involving its social, political, economic, as well as cultural
aspects. We are witnessing a shift in the civilizational paradigm. There is a
transition from a technogenic to predominantly anthropogenic civilization
where the major role will be played not only by political units, such as States or
their organizations, but also by individuals. This is a global process, of which all
the consequences are not yet clear. To comprehend its scale and major
directions, we need to select a few key notions which can help us to see the
outlines of the whole picture. I would like to suggest three such key notions:
security - which is one of the major conceptual concerns of the international
community; multilateralism - the main tool for interaction in conditions of
interdependence; and leadership - the factor of political will which, to a
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