An analytical account of the international rivalries of the great powers since the epicentre of world politics began moving out of Europe into a wider arena. It shows how the changing patterns of power are characterised by ever-increasing global interdependence. The original 1984 text stopped in 1970. Now, this long-awaited revision -- in a more generous format -- incorporates the momentous events of the last 20 years. It climaxes in the collapse of the USSR and its implications for new patterns of power-politics in the post-Soviet world.