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Life is good. In the West we are richer, healthier and better educated than ever before. Trade is booming, thriving on high-speed telecommunications networks and ever cheaper computer power. We’ve never had it so good.

Why then has the 21st century gotoff to such a rocky start? We saw mass public protests in Genoa as the leaders of the world’s most powerful nations gathered to discuss the fateof the world. Then came the horrorsof the 11 September attacks onthe US, the war in Afghanistan,the escalation of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, alongside continuing ethnic and religious conflicts around…

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