Security Challenges in the 21st Century: The Changing Nature of Risk, Security and Sustainability

Security concerns facing the United States today are broader and more complex than at any time in our history. They range from concerns arising from threats to systems that allow society to control intergroup and interpersonal conflict to more recently recognized concerns associated with threats to social and economic systems, and threats to the natural/environmental systems on upon which society depends. Each major type of threat represents a form of "fat-tailed risk," where extreme consequences are far more likely than expected but possess significant uncertainty regarding their severity and timing. Each type of threat shares the common characteristic that some elements are non-negotiable because they contain requirements that society must address to avoid or suffer irreparable consequences. Based on these assessments, we discuss the implications of societal threats on the development of global institutions, cooperation, social justice and human rights.