In 'Radical Universalism,' Fred Halliday defends the existence of a common global value system agreed upon by civilizations and religions, serving as a reference and a normative framework that defines relationships on cooperative, not conflictual, bases. He does so without succumbing to utopian idealism, consistently emphasizing the 'realistic' nature of the radical universalism he advocates. He argues that the essence and main components of this universalism are not exclusively a product of Western thought, but of human thought in general, to which all world cultures have contributed and continue to contribute, both presently and throughout long centuries of history.

The book contains ten chapters: 'A World in Flux,' 'Shadows of the Twentieth Century,' 'Debates on World Politics,' 'The Return of War,' 'Globalization and Its Discontents,' 'The Fragility of Democracy,' 'America: An Unaccountable Hegemon,' 'Illusions of Difference,' 'Global Governance Beyond Borders,' and 'Towards a Radical Universalism.' These chapters support each other in a commendable effort to establish a realistic universalism that Halliday envisions for the world, the individual, and values.

The significance of Halliday's book lies in its intellectual centrism: it rejects revolutionary claims, whether leftist or liberal, that oversimplify overthrowing a stubborn reality in theory, while practically failing to offer an effective alternative. It also refuses to accept the 'status quo' and surrender to it without engaging in an open process to improve its conditions. This is always the hardest choice, the middle path, where the call for change towards a brighter future for humanity is bound to start from its current position: with all its good and bad. The future begins from the present, just as the present began from the past, and there is no dreamy disengagement that hopes for a complete break from one era to enter a new, untouched one unrelated to what came before.

Revolutionaries will not be pleased with Halliday's realism in this book, nor will supporters of the 'status quo' be happy with the 'idealism' of his thesis on 'Radical Universalism' that rebels against the present. In a sense, Halliday wants a revolutionary dream guided by reality, and acknowledges a status quo that is revolutionized by a dream.

• Publishing House: Dar Al Saqi for Publishing and Distribution
• Number of Pages: 240
• Year of Publication: 2002
• ISBN: 9781855164208