This book presents confrontation as the key theme of the post-Cold War world. It argues that the world could be changed dramatically for the better if people and government were to adopt a new way of thinking and dealing with conflict that takes us beyond confrontation. The examples of war, international economics, environmental decay, and racial conflict show that in today's interdependent world the problems we face are interdependent, too.

The central tenet is that it is almost always more pragmatic to act cooperatively. Most importantly, the book shows that cooperative problem solving is not mere "pie in the sky" idealism.