In this path-breaking essay, Robert Cooper sets out a radical new interpretation of the shape of the world. He explains the post-Cold War world in terms of divisions between 'pre-modern' parts of the world, without fully functioning states, 'modern' nation states, concerned with territorial sovereignty and national interests, and the 'post-modern' areas, in which foreign and domestic policy are inextricably intertwined, tools of governenance are shared and security is no longer based on control over territory or the balance of power.