In general, the essays presented in this volume are infused with a spirit of restrained optimism for Greece and the World.

Regarding Greece, most articles - comparing the present with the recent past - conclude that our country has undergone a great and radical transformation from 1974 to the present. We have left behind a history of wars, divisions, economic underdevelopment, military movements, and corrosive interventions by the great powers. And we have entered an era of healing the two major divisions of the 20th century, economic growth, established democracy, and integration into the United Europe.

Regarding the World, the author's assessment is less positive. While, after the end of the Cold War, the gates for establishing a long-term period of peace had opened wide with the United Nations Security Council as a regulatory body, both objective and subjective factors interrupted this course, particularly with the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, in the United States.

The main objective factor hindering institutional progress on our planet is the vast gap between the defensive (military) capabilities and mobility of the United States and the other major power centers. In the subjective dimension of things, a key role is played by the neoconservative advisors of President Bush, who led him into the highly problematic theory of "preventive war" and its unfortunate implementation against Saddam Hussein in Iraq.

Overall, the essays carry a cautionary tone - perhaps excessively didactic. For instance, when examining issues of our foreign policy (such as the Greek-Turkish relations, the Cyprus issue, the Macedonian issue, and related topics), the author's refrain is that the lessons of the past must serve as lessons for the future, and that maximalism - without a realistic reading of the balance of power - has often led to disappointing, if not disastrous, results.

[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]