The introduction to Fundamental Challenges to Global Peace and Security: The Future of Humanity begins, “world society faces immediate and long-term threats to peace and security” (Mahmoudi et al., 2022, 1). Given the current combative climate in the world, these words feel all the more hauntingly prescient.
The introductory chapter “Securing the Future of Humanity in Challenging Times” written by Hoda Mahmoudi, Michael H. Allen, and Kate Seaman delivers a strong argument for why discussing and improving global governance for the sake of peace and security is imperative. They note,
if Covid-19 has shown us anything, it has demonstrated the closely interlaced connections and interdependence of every facet of our global community. The lack of international coordination has led to the loss of many lives and has prolonged human suffering in both rich and poor countries
(Mahmoudi et al., 2022, 2)
If the Covid pandemic exposed a failure of global coordination, the war in Ukraine represents a chance to do better. Already we are seeing unprecedented coordination between North America and European Nations in sanctioning Russia. It remains to be seen if this collaboration will have its intended effect and how this invasion will ultimately impact and transform global relationships, but in some areas, there is a reason for hope.
The content and ideas contained in the edited volume are extremely relevant to our contemporary moment. The volume begins with Part I titled “Leadership, Complexity and Global Governance.” The section introduction “Why We Need More Effective Leadership at the Global Level,” written by Kate Seaman and Hoda Mahmoudi, introduces ideas about why individual nation-states can’t address the major challenges facing the world alone.
The following chapter is titled “Where Democratization and Globalization Meet.” In it, author Craig N. Murphy argues that more emphasis needs to be placed on individual responsibility combined with a push for democratization. In the next chapter, “New Thinking About Global Governance in an Intermestic World,” W. Andy Knight asserts the need for transversal governance and movement beyond our current state-centric approach. Finally, the section is concluded by Charlotte Ku, who writes about the diffusion of state power and authority and limitations in the structures of governance in her chapter “Fragmented Responsibility in a Global World.”
Part II, “Technology and Peace,” begins with “Utilizing Technology for Peace: Seeking New Solutions” by Kate Seaman. She discusses how technology has altered not only our lives but also our perceptions of space, time, and conflict. This is followed by “Peace Data, Peace Finance, and Peace Engineering: Advancing the Design of Respectful Spaces and Sustainable Development Goals” by Aniek van Kersen, Joseph B. Hughes, Margarita Quihuis, and Mark Nelson, which highlights moral and ethical questions in engineering, finance, and data education and benefits of designing respectful spaces. The next chapter by Derek Caelin, “Decentralized Networks vs. The Trolls,” includes a discussion of different social media platforms and the role of regulation and moderation. The final chapter in the section, “Understanding Digital Conflict Drivers,” by Helena Puig Larrauri and Maude Morrison, ponders how technology affects conflict and how technological spaces could be changed to promote peace.
Part III tackles “Structural Inequalities.” In “Acknowledging and Addressing the Inequalities in the International System,” Kate Seaman highlights the importance of not only recognizing inequalities but working to mitigate and address them. This is followed by the chapter “Women, Peace, and Security: What Are the Connections? What Are the Limitations?” by Valentine M. Moghadam. In her chapter, she describes the feminist contribution to peace and simultaneous systemic obstacles to women’s security. The next chapter, authored by Elizabeth Hoover, “Environmental Reproductive Justice: Intersections in an American Indian Community Impacted by Environmental Contamination,” explores how pollution and toxins harm human reproduction and tribal culture. The last chapter of the section is called “Peace, Violence, and Inequality in a Climate-Disrupted World” by Simon Dalby and details how globalization and environmental change intersect and how this intersection can exacerbate human conflict.
Part IV, titled “Coda,” Includes two chapters. The first is “Coda Introduction: Pushing Toward the Future” by Michael H. Allen, Kate Seaman, and Hoda Mahmoudi, and the concluding chapter is “Peace in Pieces: Limits to Progress in Economy, Ethics, and World Order” by Michael H. Allen. These two chapters deal with a new approach to understanding and addressing global peace and security. Michael Allen gives a coda that provides a way to intertwine peace analysis and action. He looks at current challenges and combines methodologies to create a more effective approach for the future.
Much of the volume is forward-thinking and projecting into the future. While we don’t know what may come, our present moment makes it abundantly clear that understanding peace, conflict, and the ways that global powers impact each other is imperative in improving the safety and security of the world.
The volume is available to purchase here.
About the Author:
Stella Hudson is a Graduate Assistant with the Baha’i Chair for World Peace. She graduated from the College of William and Mary in 2021 with a B.A. in English. She is attending the University of Maryland and pursuing a Master’s of Library and Information Science.