Actors, Structure and Process in the Contemporary International Political Order

Abstract

This paper aims to explain the contemporary international political order in light of three authors of the international relations theory: Henry Kissinger, Samuel Hunting- ton and Joseph Nye. Following the aforementioned authors’ viewpoints, it is concluded that even if the national state is no longer the only actor with real possibilities to negotiate ground rules and exercise power in the configuration of the current global political order; it is undoubtedly the most relevant actor given its regulatory and administrative capacities. Thus, no other force can dispute with equal legitimacy or success in spite of the existence of illegal and non-state powers, such as international terrorism, that can create unexpected capacity of institutional destruction and instability.