This study interrogates the claim that contemporary globalization has ended the centrality of the state in world affairs and is effectively irreversible. It offers definitions of globalization, internationalization and international interdependence and demonstrates the difficulties of these concepts. Developments at the end of the 20th century are compared with those of earlier eras, particularly the end of the 19th and start of the 20th centuries. The book also surveys the historical role of the stte and its enduring importance for human well-being. A central focus of the book is the challenge posed by contemporary developments to the role and capacity of the modern state and the consequences should such challenges prove to be overwhelming.