Multilateralism / Working Paper
Global responses to global threats
23/09/2006 By Chris Abbott, Paul Rogers, John Sloboda
Since 9/11 and the development of the ‘war on terror’, international terrorism has been promoted in Washington, London and other Western capitals as the greatest threat facing the world at the current juncture.
However, this paper shows that international terrorism is actually a relatively minor threat when compared to other more serious global trends, and that current responses to those trends are likely to increase, rather than decrease, the risks of further terrorist attacks.
In examining these issues, this report offers an overview of four groups of factors that the authors have identified as the root causes of conflict and insecurity in today’s world and the likely determinants of future conflict:
- Climate change
- Competition over resources
- Marginalisation of the majority world
- Global militarisation
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Keywords
Conflict prevention Energy Security Peace PovertyRelated publications
Bio author: Chris Abbott
Chris Abbott is the Deputy Director of Oxford Research Group (ORG) and director of their Moving Towards Sustainable Security programme.
Bio author: Paul Rogers
Paul Rogers is Professor of Peace Studies at the University of Bradford, and Global Security Consultant to Oxford Research Group (ORG). He lectures at universities and defence colleges in several countries, and has written 20 books. Paul is also a regular commentator on global security issues in both the national and international media.
Bio author: John Sloboda
John Sloboda is Executive Director of Oxford Research Group (ORG). He is also Professor of Psychology and Honorary Research Fellow in the School of International Relations, Politics and the Environment at Keele University. He co-founded and manages the Iraq Body Count project, which quickly became a key source of information about civilian casualties during the Iraq war and its aftermath.


