The world is currently confronting many critical problems that require our urgent attention. Among them, issues such as the pandemic, nuclear wars, and climate change are unique in the threats they pose to the very survival of human civilization. The enormity and imminence of these existential threats cannot be overstated and confronting them must be central issues for states and leadership. In the midst of a pandemic, relations between the U.S., China, and Russia are worse than they have been in the past three decades, and war between the nuclear superpowers is an ever-present threat.
This session will focus on how existential threats shape the tensions and dynamics between countries and the consequent response needed to resolve these issues. What is working and not working in the present established global and regional governance systems? What kind of changes need to be made? How do domestic politics and hegemonic competition affect multilateralism? How can countries work together?