The world today encounters four extreme challenges:

• The transformation from Western Civilization to Global Civilization
• The development of Virtual Civilization
• A new great crisis, especially seen in the Western and the Eastern Civilizations
• The possible Clash of Civilizations Globalization in our lifetimes was initiated by a political platform that arose when a new world order emerged following the fall of the Soviet Empire in 1991. Almost immediately, Europeanization took off, providing the world with new markets in Central and Eastern Europe.