World power, traditionally linked with classic themes of strategy and power relations, is discussed in terms of the influence that economic issues have on its foundations. Two main theoretical approaches in the contemporary debate on international relations - realism and globalism - are examined. Existing divergences between them do not conceal a perceptible similarity in their outlooks, the authors argue. Hegemonic stability and complex interdepence theories ares considered in the context of the debate on international order or disorder.