1989 as a Political World Event examines the historical significance of the political events of 1989, and the changes in the subsequent world order.The book criticallys examine and move beyond some of the conveniently simple paradigms proposed in the nineties, by leading political figures such as Fukuyama and Huntington. Most importantly, it examines the issue of democratization as explored in interaction with the books' two main themes: the introduction of market economies integrated to the global economy and the changing nature of the international system (the importance of an external anchor and the geopolitics of democratization).With a foreword by Vaclav Havel, 1989 as a World Event will be of interest to scholars of European Politics and International Relations.