Typically when we think of global powerhouses, countries such as the US, UK, Japan or Germany come to mind. But the world is in the midst of a tectonic shift in international economic and political power. Countries previously lumped under the general heading of 'developing' are fast becoming key players on the international stage. India, Turkey, Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia and South Africa, among others, are subtly altering our perceptions of what constitutes a 'strong' or 'weak' economy, while 'Emerging States' - a term once familiar only to economists - is entering common parlance. The Emerging States are reshuffling the cards of the international game in a manner unheard of since 1945. Never before have the dominant powers had to make room for new players, propelled forward by an astonishing economic momentum. The power struggle looming in multilateral organizations such as the UN and the IMF reflects a shift in the world center of gravity, in both geopolitical and cultural terms.
Although emerging countries all feature high growth rates, growing integration into the world economy, stabilized institutions and discrete forms of capitalism, their trajectories differ: from China, 'the world's factory,' to India, 'the world's back office'. Under such circumstances, there is a growing need to understand how the notion of 'Emerging States' corresponds to reality and what new international configurations it is likely to spawn. This richly documented volume, which contains over 100 color maps, graphs and tables, helps businessmen, scholars and the general reader to get to grips with 'Emerging States' and how they are transforming international relations.