The eleventh edition of The Global Risks Report 2016 has been published, exploring worldwide risks through institutional memory and expert opinion by various global decision-makers. The Report highlights the landscape, interconnections concerns for business and other security factors that will dominate the headlines over the next 15 years. Head of Geopolitical Affairs at the World Economic Forum introduced the Report with the article ‘Are we sleepwalking into geopolitical turmoil?’, which is a very good perspective and summary of the Report. Underlying current events and examples is what author Espen Barth Eide describes as ‘existing modes of governance [seemingly] largely unable to deal with the complex challenges or to fully reap the opportunities available in with dedication, foresight and mutually beneficial solutions.’
The World Economic Forum has suggested that globalisation is going into reveres, and that we find ourselves in an environment of contradictions: major global actors compete while cooperating, battle while compromising, or dissolve powers while developing new ones. In short, ‘globalisation going into reverse’. We do see increased agreements, but the question are they created from shared understandings, or simply a consensus on the lowest common values? Can we see a backlash of efforts to become more open and global?
Global actors are changing; technologies are changing; the roles of individuals are changing, and in that Espen Barth Eide suggests that there is a growing lack of trust and cohesion between countries, societies and individuals which will trend towards a less integrated and interlinked world if we do not proactively stop such deterioration. Global conversation and collective action needs to be on the agenda, not to solve world challenges, but to explore practice solutions for a shared understanding of our lost social capital and disengagement.
Of course, higher education plays a key role in planting seeds of understanding and appreciation of other cultures through acting as a hub of inspiration, innovation, and shared values. There is no doubt that the future of our global village is dependent on fostering knowledge, the ability to think critically, and to understand the influence of our technology revolution in the effort to create global cohesion and trust.