A leading international adviser and influential author has some advice for world leaders as they prepare to gather for this week's G20 Summit in London. The author of "the Age of the Unthinkable" suggests some unlikely sources of inspiration for the current world order.

Joshua Cooper Ramo, as the managing director of Kissinger and Associates, is hardly a revolutionary himself.

But as the title of his book suggests, he has some unorthodox ideas that could lead to a better way out of the current economic predicament.

Ramo suggests that world leaders need to study the thought processes of successful revolutionary groups around the world -- even Islamic terrorists -- when it comes to dealing with the changing world order.

Ramo says nations and international leaders could learn something from a group like Hezbollah in Lebanon, which whatever you think about it, has shown itself to be "incredibly resilient" and successful.

Its leaders have begun to assume they are going to be attacked, he tells CTV.ca from New York. They make contingency plans and adapt quickly, he notes, adding that Hezbollah also gains popular support by focusing on things that matter to their constituents on a daily basis.

Even under tremendous strain, Ramos says, the organization has been able to adapt to a constantly changing situation and thrive.

"(Hezbollah's) greatest survival secret had nothing to do with cracking Israeli codes or smuggling missiles or building up a leadership hierarchy. It was creating a system that allowed them to shift and learn and change -- and that did all of those things even better when they were under attack," he writes.

"It's not just a financial crisis. It is a much more profound crisis," he says before asking, "What is causing this? It's the complexity of situation."

'Tragic paradox'

An interconnected international system has become much more unpredictable, Ramo says, especially with the proliferation of influential political, business and non-governmental players on the global stage. But Ramo notes that world leaders have continued to employ old ways of thinking.

"The sum of their misconceptions has now produced a tragic paradox," he writes in his book.

"Global capitalism, intended to boost the quality of life of people around the world, claws the gap between rich and poor even wider."

He says this week's summit, which will include India and China, highlights the fact that a handful of western nations can no longer solely control the mechanisms of a global economy.

"I think that the days of Western countries dictating policies is hopefully over," he says.

Ramo adds that institutions like the International Monetary Fund will also not be able to resolve the current crisis.

"That they will save the day is the delusional," he says flatly.

Ramo says governments will need to do three things to bring about constructive change. They are:

• manage the impact of globalization on people
• take a closer look at foreign aid
• focus on social policies and health care policies

"Governments will need to avoid a situation where every country begins to pursue its own interests ... it's important to have an overall, complex strategy," he says.

The new age of uncertainty, Ramo writes in his book, will also require individuals to take action.

"We can each start to live more resiliently," he writes, citing the need for greater savings and volunteerism.

"But far more of the change will be difficult ... It requires a psychological shift from being certain about our future to being uncertain, a transformation that is as stressful as it is productive."