Introduction

Abstract

Since 1989, the international system has become a sort of mystery, an enigma that has presented itself before international relations specialists, although it does not seem to have really captured their interest. The commonly used qualifier of “post-bipolar” oddly enough tells us more about the system’s past without informing us about what it has become or what direction it is likely to take. Indifference? Perplexity? Intentional disregard? All are possible. A few strange notions appear here and there, some put forward by actors, others advanced by observers. The former like to talk about “multipolarity,” while the latter have invented the terms of “unimultipolarity” or “interpolarity,” and sometimes both find themselves agreeing on the concept of “unipolarity,” to criticize it, indulge it, or simply ponder it.