Since the end of the Cold War, international relations have entered a new dimension; a plethora of complicated issues and unforeseen difficulties have arisen, related foremost to the rise in national, ethnic and racial conflicts in various regions around the globe. The paper argues that a new world order is required if problems associated with the environment, demographics and nuclear proliferation are to be resolved successfully. Gorbachev proposes that nations work towards a global partnership that can swiftly and adequately react and respond to the requirements of an ever-changing world, as well as strike a balance between the interests of countries and peoples while maintaining stable conditions for the general development of the world.