The nature of risks to global security has changed dramatically since the fall of the Berlin Wall, but our mechanisms for preventing, responding and adapting to them have lagged far behind. While there have been limited efforts to develop more effective international responses, these have been piecemeal and have produced only modest increases in global resilience.
The past twelve months have increased pressure on the international system. The arrival of a new U.S. administration, the more assertive multilateral stance taken by China, India, Russia and Brazil, and above all the credit crunch and subsequent global downturn, have increased demand for more effective management of global challenges – while at the same time creating fresh obstacles to achieving this goal.
In this think piece, we explore how current opportunities can be used to catalyze the transformation we need to create a more effective international system. Our aim is to provoke and stimulate discussion.
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