This book focuses on the problem of regionalism, the crucial phenomenon in international relations at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries. Regionalism is analyzed both in terms of regional economic and political integration, as well as regional competition and conflict. The book is divided into three parts, based on the functional and geographical criteria. The first part is devoted to the theoretical setting, including brief introduction to regionalism problems and classical theories of integration, as well as new approaches to regionalism, which are followed by the analysis of regions in the context of regional security complexes concept. The second part of the book focuses on Asian and African challenges to regionalism and the third, and final, part is devoted to the most developed subregional order, namely the European region.

The effect of the conference is reflected in the contributions that follow in this volume and in the rich, interdisciplinary debate over the American impact on the world, integration in Pax Americana and patterns of integration in other parts of the world, different and/or similar approaches to challenges to international order, and last but not least the issue of continuity and change in politics. Here one also needs to mention the ever-present debate on the American "export" of values: separation of church and state, human rights, the idea of sovereignty, the rule of separation of powers, modern federalism, democratization approaches, Americanism, American Studies dilemmas, American exceptionalism, uniqueness in contemporary American society, and patterns in foreign policy.

This publication is a collection of selected papers presented at an international conference organized by the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland in May 2010. All texts included in this book have been written at that time and although two years have already passed, the essays should still be regarded as an important commentary on contemporary events, also from a more recent perspective. The book contains a number of papers providing a thorough analysis of the processes that occurred in the United States in the initial period of the Barack Obama's administration. The first part of the publication is focused on the issues of U.S. foreign policy concerning such areas as Africa, Japan, Iran, Germany, Central and Eastern Europe. The second part refers to the political process and political institutions exampled by the Vice Presidency of Joe Biden and the relationship between the American president and the Supreme Court. The last part consists of papers dealing with social issues such as racial policy, popular movements, and Obama's public image. All these perspectives combine to form a portrayal of America at the beginning of Obama's administration. The image is probably not entirely complete, but very interesting.