Recent theoretical developments to calculate cross sections of hadronic objects in the high energy limit are summarised and experimental attempts to establish the need for new QCD effects connected with a resummation of small hadron momentum fractions x are reviewed. The relation between small-x parton dynamics and the phenomenon of diffraction is briefly out-lined. In addition, a search for a novel, non-perturbative QCD effect, the production of QCD instanton induced events, is presented.