| Summary/Abstract |
HUMANKIND has entered the 21st century with unparalleled achievements in science, technology, telecommunications, medicine, and genetic engineering. The pace and intensity of life have grown a great deal, so has life expectancy, opportunities for international travel have increased vastly, and people have come to know a lot more about what happens in various parts of the world. Since the 1950s, at the initiative of key global political players such as the United States, the Soviet Union and subsequently Russia, Britain, France, China, Germany, Italy, and Japan, the international community has signed fundamental agreements on civil rights, economic and political relations, and scientific and technological cooperation. Because of today's extent of global economic, political, and cultural integration, modern civilization can be fairly described as a "planet-wide society."
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