The year 2011 will be remembered as one of unprecedented change and difficult economic circumstances. On the one hand, the ‘Arab Spring’ has become an Arab autumn and is on its way to becoming an Arab winter, with new uprisings continuing to expand to other countries, old autocratic leaders being overthrown and the first democratic elections taking place in best-in-class countries such as Tunisia and Egypt. On the other hand, Europe is taking bold decisions, making political compromises and applying painful but nonetheless necessary measures to address the economic and financial crisis. In the midst of these challenging times, it is crucial to keep an eye on the evolution of geopolitics, which is currently characterised by the emergence of new regional powers and by the inability of other states to self-govern. International relations must now be understood in the context of globalisation, interdependence and multipolarity. Nation states are no longer selfsufficient, making regional integration necessary in order to tackle common challenges. In this sense, some countries are emerging (or at least have the potential to do so) as new regional powers. Turkey is sometimes regarded as an inspirational case for some, especially post–Arab Spring countries in a new Middle East and North Africa region, and as an example of how to combine tradition with global modernity. In the meantime, the BRIC(S) countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China, with the possible addition of South Africa) are presenting themselves as alternative leading forces given their demographic, territorial and trade potential. Indonesia, too, has emerged as a rising leader in South-East Asia. In contrast, there are, unfortunately, states that are finding it difficult to perform as prosperous and well-functioning democracies. A state is traditionally defined by three characteristics: territory, population and the presence of