What is globalization? Why is it the source of such intense controversy? Is it creating a more disorderly world or can globalization be tamed? In the aftermath of September 11th, these questions have acquired a new and even greater sense of urgency. This short book provides a key to understanding one of the most important intellectual and political debates of our times. The authors interrogate the evidence about globalization and assess global trends. Issues of governance, culture, the economy, patterns of inequality and global ethics are discussed in relation to the contending claims and counterclaims of the principal positions in the globalization debate: the globalizers and anti-globalizers. Held and McGrew reflect on the central questions of political life posed by the great globalization debate, namely: who rules, in whose interests, to what ends, and by what means? They conclude by proposing a new political agenda for the twenty-first century – a global covenant of cosmopolitan social democracy. This book is an excellent guide for all those intrigued, confused or simply baffled by globalization and its impact.