Published Jun 01 2022

Is the world more dangerous now than it’s ever been?

Is the world more dangerous now than it’s ever been? As we scroll through our news feeds, it’s very easy to think these times are especially perilous, more so than any other period in history.

However, before we despair, it’s important we think about — and look for — the nuances, the reasons for hope, and the pathways for change.

Through global communications and global connections, there’s now more opportunity than ever for people to unite, to cooperate, to identify and share commonalities, and to learn about and care for one another.

While we’ve recently seen new conflicts and challenges, we’ve also seen the rise of global social justice movements, social awareness, and a sense of global responsibility.

Therefore, while we shouldn’t deny the challenges, there’s a balance to be struck. As a global community, we should have the curiosity, assertiveness and commitment to drive pathways for hope, and find ways in which we can support that hope to grow.

The case for fear

There’s undeniable fragility in the global community – we’re facing numerous intersecting challenges.

There have been more than six million recorded deaths from COVID-19, though the World Health Organisation places that total at closer to 15 million. Still, more than 30 countries have vaccination rates at less than 10%.

Global temperatures are 1.2℃ above pre-industrial levels. According to 2022 UNHCR reports, 84 million people have been displaced from their homeland because of conflict, climate, or humanitarian crisis.

Similarly, the UN estimates that 274 million people will need humanitarian aid this year, more than four times what it was a decade ago.


Read more: Putting Putin’s false history of Ukraine into perspective


A new conflict has emerged in the Ukraine, while protracted conflicts continue in Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, South Sudan and the Horn of Africa, with attendant humanitarian crises. And simmering away are new bouts of toxic nationalism, fake news, cyber terrorism, nuclear weapons, and inter-communal violence.

At the global level, it’s not difficult to argue that great power politics can often dominate at the expense of genuine cooperation for the common good.

There’s been something of a retreat of US global leadership this century. While some might describe it as a decline in US power, others see it as a reluctance on the part of the US to project its power into the world.

Either way, we’ve also seen an assertive resurgence of Russian and Chinese power, as well as the rise of other regional state actors. Far from collaborating to solve these crises, we can easily be led to think that states are the problems, not the solution.

The case for hope

Yet, if we look beyond great power machinations, we might find these challenges aren’t all-consuming. The challenges are real, but there are also avenues for hope. Where do we find them, and how do we embrace them? Let us outline three pathways:

Young people’s leadership

At the COP26 summit in Glasgow last year, climate action leader Greta Thunberg called out world leaders, labelling decades of state inaction on climate change as 30 years of “blah, blah, blah”.

Thunberg is one of many youth activists to have captured the concerns, passions, innovation and ambitions of a generation to demand and work towards real change. She’s not alone. Young people aged between 16 and 24 comprise about 16% of the world’s population. Their leadership in peace and security, in response to crisis, in issues of justice, and the rights to education (PDF) are making significant changes around the world.


Read more: Eco-anxiety and climate change through the eyes of the next generation


For example, the Malala Fund, founded by Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, is working globally to break down the barriers to girls’ education. Malala’s leadership hasn’t just inspired people to value and protect a girl’s right to education, but has become a global movement working in some of the most challenging contexts to ensure girls’ access to education.

This has tangible impacts in our society. When girls are educated, societies become more peaceful, more equal, and more robust.

Supporting young people’s leadership, empowering them to speak and be listened to, is a clear pathway for intergenerational hope.

Global movements for inclusion

In recent years, we’ve seen positive movements for inclusion for many social groups around the world. While there’s still too much marginalisation and discrimination, this has in places been matched by concerted efforts to recognise, understand and respond to historical injustices and contemporary patterns of structural, cultural and attitudinal discrimination.

Inclusion not only supports efforts to achieve peace, justice and security in communities. It also makes them stronger.

Research consistently shows that more inclusive processes lead to better decisions, whether it be in companies, governments or communities. This was on display last week when we saw commitments by the newly-elected Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in his victory speech to work towards enshrining an indigenous voice to Parliament, which is one such example where we can identify movements and mandates for greater inclusion.

Supporting and participating in efforts to challenge the barriers and structures that enable exclusion is another pathway for shared hope.

Justice and human rights

Across the world, connected through global media, we’ve seen millions of people become active for justice and human rights. From the Black Lives Matter movement, to the #MeToo movement, to the School Strike 4 Climate, people are motivated to advocate for their rights and the rights of others.

In Australia, the 2021 March 4 Justice was one such demand, for respect for women and their rights to live and work in safety and equality. Arguably, the recent Australian election result is the manifestation of that movement. Grassroots momentum produced a predominantly female sea of so-called “teal” independents replacing the voice of predominantly male conservative ones.

Community-based campaigns for change can be global, can change hearts and minds, and can provide clear pathways for rights, justice and better representation.

In short, while it’s easy to dwell on the darker elements of contemporary global politics, we should all remember that positive change is also afoot. It may not always be at the top of our news feeds, but that simply means we must find it out, empower and support it.

Discover how you can help make change for future generations here.

About the Authors

  • Katrina lee-koo

    Former Professor, International Relations, School of Social Sciences

    Katrina teaches and researches in the field of security studies. She looks particularly at critical security studies, and the protection and participation of civilians in conflict affected areas and peace processes (focused upon women and children).

  • Marko pavlyshyn

    Emeritus Professor of Ukrainian Studies

    Marko is the convenor of Ukrainian Studies in Monash University's School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics. His research specialisations include modern and contemporary Ukrainian literature, post-colonial approaches to the study of Slavic literatures and cultures, and issues of culture and national identity. Between 2000-2005 Marko was the Director of Monash University's Centre for European Studies and, in 2005-2010, Head of the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics. He was the founding President of the Ukrainian Studies Association of Australia. In 1998-2003 he was President of the Australia and New Zealand Slavists' Association. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities.

  • Jacqui true

    Professor of International Relations; Director, Gender, Peace and Security Centre, Faculty of Arts

    Jacqui is Director of Monash University’s Centre for Gender, Peace and Security. She’s an Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellow, and a Global Fellow, Peace Research Institute (PRIO), Oslo. Jacqui's current research is focused on three areas of relevance to the broader women, peace and security agenda: Understanding the political economy of violence against women, including sexual and gender-based violence in conflict in Asia Pacific; examining the gender dimensions and women’s roles in recruitment, support for and prevention of violent extremism and; analysing gender-sensitive peace agreements and their impact on women’s participation after conflict. This research is funded by the Australian Research Council, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the United Nations.

  • Priya sharma

    Lecturer, Department of Business, Law and Taxation, Monash University Malaysia

    Priya is a lecturer in the Department of Business, Law and Taxation, School of Business, at Monash University Malaysia. She's the Principles of Responsible Management Education ambassador for the School of Business. She represented Monash Malaysia at the Global Refugee Forum (GRF) in December 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland.

  • Carsten rudolph

    Associate Professor of Cyber Security with the Faculty of Information Technology

    Carsten is an expert in the cyber security issues that accompany peer-to-peer trading schemes like those being considered for “smart grid” - based future energy delivery systems. He is also Director of the Oceania Cyber Security Centre, a collaboration of eight Victorian Universities with the broad aim of engaging with industry to develop research and training opportunities for dealing with cyber security issues.

  • Jason beech

    Senior Lecturer, School of Education, Culture and Society, Faculty of Education

    Jason is a senior lecturer in education policy in the Faculty of Education. He’s interested in understanding how ideas about education are developed in global educational spaces, and influence education policies and practices globally. His research has analysed the work of organisations such as UNESCO, the World Bank, OECD, private for-profit organisations and other actors that contribute to the construction of dominant discourses about education. He’s also interested in understanding how these global discourses are transformed as they’re translated into policies and practices, and has studied the trajectory of global discourses and policies in countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia and Costa Rica. He’s also written, and is passionate, about the challenges of educating for global citizenship and a sustainable future.

  • Herman tse

    Professor, Department of Management

  • Ranjan ray

    Professor, Department of Economics, Monash Business School

    Ranjan has been engaged in research in the area of development for more than three decades. Within this broad area, developmental issues in the context of South Asia have been the focus of much of his research. These include analysis of expenditure patterns in India, design and reform of commodity taxes, the distributional implications of inflation in developing country contexts such as India, child labour in India, Pakistan and Nepal, and malnutrition in India with special reference to child health. Other research areas include aspects of food consumption with special reference to food security and nutritional intake, poverty and inequality estimation, multi-dimensional deprivation in India and comparison with China.

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