Robert Zoellick’s speech on "The End of the Third World"

may get into the hall of fame of the most influential speeches by the President of the World Bank Group.

While the contours of the multipolar world is yet to emerge, the direction is clear. His urge to forge a network of nations against the current background of global economic crisis is timely and nurtures the possibility of creation of a new order of international co-operation. The thing to watch out for is will the nation states recoil to the old way of pursuing narrower interests or take this opportunity to design a new inclusive world order.