A potent mixture of globalization, economic inequality and political conflict is shaking the foundations of global stability. The political structures that underpin many states are being questioned, as democratic awakenings eat away at ideologies and parties that have sustained power for generations. The growth of a global economic elite means a few profit greatly, but many are left disenfranchised. The result is that in the Middle East, Europe, Africa and Asia, boundaries and political structures that were laid down a century ago are under pressure.