Fifteen years after the end of the Cold War there is a new deep worldwide preoccupation with the short‐ and long‐term outlook for international order. The case of Iraq shows that there is no valid alternative to an international order based on the principles of democracy, respect for freedom, human rights, solidarity and international law. However, the foundations of this order have to be strengthened through effective cooperation and commitment, both by the developed and the developing world. No country, small or large, can feign indifference, go it alone or afford the illusion that it will not be affected by the quality of the international order in the years to come. In this context, introduces a series of analyses that were presented at two international seminars, illustrating the complexity of international order.