Special issue on global flow instability and control

This special issue is intended to provide a snapshot of current research in the area of ??Global Flow Instability and Control??. The original papers, and to a certain extent the topic itself, are intimately linked with the series of symposia by the same name that were held in Crete, Greece, between 2001 and 2009. As members of the organizing committees of the Crete symposia, we invited all past participants to contribute, and all papers were reviewed following the strict standards of the journal. This preface gives a brief historical account of events that have shaped ideas in the field over the past decade, followed by a synopsis of the papers published herein.