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The return of the Middle Kingdom to the center stage of history is the most significant geo‐civilizaitonal development of the 21st Century. China's rise raises anew the great question, thought settled after the Cold War, of what system of governance will stand on the right or wrong side of history. In this section the leading ideologists of the China model and its "peaceful rise" appear alongside the fiercest critics of China's way.

Introduction.--William Penn.--Thomas Lloyd.--David Lloyd.--James Logan.--John Kinsey.--Isaac Norris.--James Pemberton.--John Dickinson. ; Mode of access: Internet.

Arthur James Balfour.--Lord Salisbury.--Lord Rosebery.--Joseph Chamberlain.--Henry Labouchere.--John Morley.--Lord Aberdeen.--John Burns.--Sir Michael Hicks-Beach.--John E. Redmond.--Sir William Harcourt.--James Bryce.--Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman. ; Mode of access: Internet.

This publication contains six papers on Malta's role and initiatives on the international scene. Having been written and presented a handful of years ago, i.e. between 1990 and 1995, the papers might seem quite outdated to a 1996 reader. Nevertheless, they do provide a clear testimony to the fact that during the five years in question the political structures in Europe underwent a complete overhaul: the Warsaw Pact was disbanded; the Partnership for Peace Programme came into being; the Rome Treaty was updated by means of the Maastricht Treaty; the European Community became the European Union; the Maastricht Treaty is, at the moment, going through a thorough revision process at the Intergovernmental Conference (IOC). The stress in this publication lies on an alternative approach to politics. The alternative approach to Maltese international politics I have in mind, is one that privileges the search for peaceful solutions to military intervention; one that gives resonance to the social and ecological dimension; one that insists on cooperation and solidarity amongst all peoples; one that gives great relevance to the respect of minorities and the tolerance of divergent views; one that attributes a leading role in politics to culture and language; one that promotes policies based on reciprocal understanding amongst different races, peoples and creeds. By harbouring this vision of politics I might be described as being more of an idealist dreamer than a pragmatic politician. My answer is simple: history has proven that the traditional way of handling political issues has not led to everlasting peace. Maybe, a fair dose of fantasy and visionary dreams might simply do the trick and thus translate the idea of unity in diversity into a reality. This is something which all true democrats should aspire to achieve. ; peer-reviewed