The ‘Decline of the West’ Revisited: Future World Order and a Dialogue of Civilizations

Summary: Robert W. Cox, is professor emeritus of political science at York University. On graduating from McGill University in 1947, he joined the staff of the International Labour Office (ILO) which had been given refuge from war torn Europe at McGill and was about to return to its headquarters in Geneva. In a twenty five year career with the ILO he travelled extensively in Europe, Asia and Latin America meeting political leaders and observing social conditions and problems. In 1972, he resigned from the ILO and was appointed Professor of Political Science at Columbia University, New York. In 1977 he returned to Canada as professor of political science at York University, Toronto. He has written about multilateralism, international political economy, world order, civil society and civilizations. His publications include: Social forces, states and world orders: beyond international relations theory in Millennium. Journal of International Studies (summer 1981); Production, Power and World Order (Columbia University Press, 1987), andApproaches to World Order (Cambridge University Press, 1996).