One popular image of the probable condition of humanity in the twenty-first
century anticipates a new Armageddon with all the great civilizations at war
with each other. This model neglects a less dramatic but deeper-seated process
of worldwide change in which national economic and political systems become more
alike and populations worldwide come to adopt similar lifestyles and develop
similar attitudes and values for daily living. Alex Inkeles' penetrating
analysis focuses on this process of convergence.In "One World Emerging?" Inkeles
clarifies the meaning of convergence in the social organization of modern
societies, shows how it can be measured, and illustrates in detail the manner
and degree of convergence