This article examines the links between the process of economic globalization and the stability of the international order from the International Political Economy perspective. It argues that this perspective is the most appropriate to shed light on what is today the central issue in social sciences: the relation between States and Markets, and the tension between an increasingly globalized economy and a territorially-defined political system. The paper discusses the ongoing transformations in the context of economic globalization and the shift to a post-Westphalian political order, as well as its effects on the role of the state and on International Relations. It then turns to the analysis of the meaning of regionalism, with the case study of the new areas of political integration within the European Union, in particular the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). The European Union provides evidence of the links between economic stability and political cooperation.
International order; Globalization; Regionalism
