The context within which we practice philanthropy has changed dramatically — the world of even 15 years ago is gone. As recently as the 1980's, the world's economic systems were fairly clear: nation states controlled their borders and most businesses operated within those borders, importing or exporting from them. International institutions, created almost exclusively after WWII, mediated between nation states, helping diffuse tensions on everything from monetary policy to movements of refugees. That was the context in which philanthropies operated. It was difficult, but orderly. Three new forces have disturbed the old world we lived and acted within: global economics, access to information and the role of the United States as the sole superpower.