A commemorative volume is, obviously, a poor attempt to honor a person who deeply believes in the perpetuity of human progress and the continuous renewal of human thought.

On the basis of this reasoning, it was decided to offer something more than a simple collection of essays: an effort was made to create a collective work that adequately incorporates the most contemporary theoretical developments in the science of International Relations over the past two decades, as well as modern issues, structures, and processes that span (among others) from the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, primordialism and global poverty, to Europeanization, civil society, international security, and globalization.

This endeavor involves thirty-nine distinguished individuals, not only students of Theodoros Kouloumbis but also his colleagues, who fought alongside him for the scientific advancement of the country.

If this work serves as a comprehensive summary of contemporary theoretical trends and as a springboard to take a step further, it will have fulfilled its mission in the best possible way.