International Ethics, Law and Politics are generally considered separate and independent spheres, almost acting as three autonomous branches. In this article, I develop arguments which demonstrate that, in reality, the international realm is a symbiosis between these three domains. The point at which they meet and fuse will be referred to here as the « Global Standard of Civilization ». Next, I demonstrate that a meaningful analysis of international politics needs to seriously consider questions related to the identity of its actors and the degree of anarchy. My argument leads to the consideration that the end of the Cold War is due more to a transformation of Russia’s identity than to the disintegration of the USSR. This allows us to interpret « Russian missiles » as therefore culturally different from the earlier « Soviet missiles ». Lastly, I argue that only a truly democratic culture is able to construct a durable, peaceful and generative cooperation. – Summary AFRI-2001