The desire for recognition is the most fundamental human desire, and it is the source of both the greatest achievements and the greatest tragedies in human history.
The great ideological battles between liberalism and communism, or between democracy and authoritarianism, have been replaced by a general consensus on the desirability of liberal democracy.
The spread of liberal democracy and the integration of the world economy have created a situation in which the only legitimate form of government is one that is based on popular sovereignty and respects basic human rights.
The most remarkable development of the last quarter of the twentieth century has been the revelation of enormous weaknesses at the core of the world's seemingly strong dictatorships.
