The Next American Century identifies and describes three modern waves of world economic integration. Professor Van Lear extensively demonstrates America's important role in driving the current era of globalization. Focusing on the varying and interrelated social, political, and economic dimensions of nation-state integration, this study addresses important issues such as the evolution in policy and institutions, the dynamics of economics and finance, and the discontents of contemporary globalization. The book centers in on the core economic driving mechanisms of globalization and examines the themes of wealth, power, class and policy in an age of globalization. Employing a diversity of scholarship and a critical yet fair examination of current economic evolution, this book offers a thorough explanation for the causes and consequences of globalization.