Draft:New international security system

Formation of a new international security system refers to the development and transformation of international institutions, rules, and mechanisms concerned with maintaining international peace and security. The subject is examined in academic and policy discussions in the context of changes in the international distribution of power, emerging security challenges, and technological development.

The subject is related to broader concepts including international order, world order, international system, and global security governance. Academic literature uses these concepts in different ways, reflecting differences in the interpretation of international institutions, rules, relations among states, and mechanisms of global governance.

Contemporary research examines changes in international order and security through such issues as the distribution of political, economic, and military power, the role of international and regional institutions, the development of new forms of international cooperation, and the emergence of security challenges that extend beyond national jurisdictions.

Background

The Charter of the United Nations established the main principles for the maintenance of international peace and security, including collective measures, the sovereign equality of states, and the prohibition of the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of states.

During the Cold War, international security was largely shaped by political and military rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. The United Nations operated within a bipolar international system characterised by competing political and military alliances, including NATO and the Warsaw Pact.

Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the end of the Cold War, the international security environment underwent significant changes. Increasing attention was given to problems extending beyond relations between the former military and political blocs and associated with the development of an increasingly globalised and interconnected world.

These transformations in the international security environment became the subject of extensive academic and political discussion. Research during this period examined the expansion of the international security agenda and the capacity of international organisations to respond to new forms of conflict, threats, and risks.

Contemporary security challenges

International security encompasses not only traditional military issues but also problems that extend beyond national borders and jurisdictions. Traditional security issues, including wars, territorial disputes, military alliances, nuclear deterrence, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, have been supplemented by risks of a different nature. Cybersecurity, transnational terrorism, pandemics, climate change, economic instability, disinformation, the protection of critical infrastructure, and artificial intelligence have acquired increasing importance in security debates.

These emerging risks have raised questions about the ability of existing institutions to respond to threats that extend beyond national jurisdictions. One area of research in international security concerns the relationship between the transnational character of contemporary problems and the state-oriented structure of international institutions.

At the same time, contemporary research on international order increasingly examines it as a political and discursive environment rather than as a search for a specific institutional model of international security.

Reform of international institutions

One of the main areas of contemporary debate concerns the reform and adaptation of existing international institutions. However, the creation of entirely new institutional structures is generally not the central focus of these discussions. Debates also address international financial organisations, mechanisms for responding to global risks, the resilience of the international order, and the possibility of more pluralistic forms of global governance.

Pact for the Future

At the Summit of the Future on 22 September 2024, United Nations member states adopted the Pact for the Future. The document contains 56 actions covering sustainable development and development financing, international peace and security, science and technology, digital cooperation, youth and future generations, and the reform of global governance.

The Pact calls for strengthening international cooperation and adapting global institutions to contemporary conditions. It also contains provisions concerning reform of the United Nations Security Council with the aim of making it more representative, inclusive, effective, transparent, and accountable.

The Pact for the Future does not establish a separate new international security system. Rather, it provides an agreed framework for strengthening and adapting existing forms of multilateral cooperation.

Multipolarity and a pluralistic international order

Multipolarity is one of the major concepts in contemporary discussions of international order and international security. It refers to an international system in which significant political, economic, or military capabilities are distributed among several centres of power rather than concentrated in a single state or divided between two competing blocs.

Multipolarity does not necessarily imply the disappearance of existing international institutions. Major powers continue to participate in the United Nations and in international financial and trade organisations. Various approaches have been proposed to the development of a multipolar international order.

Amitav Acharya describes a possible multiplex world order in which different political organisations, institutions, and models of global development coexist.

Other scholars examine the emergence of interconnected regional spaces and a more pluralistic international system.

Research on non-Western conceptions of international order includes perspectives from East and Southeast Asia, Latin America, Africa, South Asia, the Indo-Pacific, and Eurasia. These studies examine the possibility of more pluralistic forms of international order and identify differences in understandings of international order across regions and intellectual traditions.

Regional security arrangements

Regional organisations and security mechanisms constitute an important component of the international security environment. The European Union has developed discussions on strategic autonomy, referring to the ability of the European Union and its member states to act independently while maintaining international partnerships. At the same time, NATO and cooperation with other international organisations remain central elements of European collective defence.

The Russia–Ukraine war has influenced European debates on defence policy and strategic autonomy, as reflected in research published in European Security.

Other regional organisations, including the African Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, also participate in regional security and international cooperation.

Regional security organisations generally operate alongside the United Nations and other global institutions, creating overlapping levels of international security cooperation.

World order: Chinese approaches

China has developed its own approaches to international security while remaining an active participant in existing international and regional institutions, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

In 2022, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Security Initiative (GSI). Chinese official documents describe the initiative in terms of common and sustainable security, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the peaceful settlement of international disputes.

China's global initiatives have become part of wider debates concerning international order and global governance. They include the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI), the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI), and the Global Governance Initiative (GGI). Chinese official documents present these initiatives as contributions to international cooperation, while independent research has examined their implications for global governance and China's geopolitical influence.

Chinese approaches to international relations have also included institutional and academic discussions of civilisations and their role in world politics. These discussions have partly developed in response to debates concerning the concept of a "clash of civilizations" associated with Samuel Huntington. Concepts associated with Chinese approaches include the traditional idea of Datong (大同), or "Great Unity", and the concept of a community with a shared future for humanity.

The concept of a community with a shared future for humanity is promoted by the Chinese government as a framework for international cooperation and global development. Economic and infrastructure cooperation has also been associated with the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), including the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road.

China also uses the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation as an institutional framework for regional cooperation in areas including security and economic development. Discussions of relations between China and Western states frequently address the material, technological, political, and ideological dimensions of international competition.

Digital dimension

The digital dimension has become an increasingly important component of international security and global governance. Cybersecurity, cross-border digital interactions, digital infrastructure, and artificial intelligence create challenges that extend beyond national jurisdictions and require forms of international cooperation.

Digital technologies have expanded discussions of international security beyond traditional military and diplomatic mechanisms. They have also contributed to debates concerning new forms of global governance, international digital cooperation, and the regulation of emerging technologies.

The Global Digital Compact, adopted in 2024 as Annex I to the Pact for the Future, establishes a framework for international cooperation in the digital economy, digital security, and artificial intelligence.

The Global Digital Compact identifies international law, including the Charter of the United Nations and international human rights law, as a basis for international digital cooperation.

Non-state initiatives and digital governance

The rapid development of digital technologies and institutional gaps in global governance have contributed to the emergence of numerous initiatives outside governments and intergovernmental organisations. Academic research has examined the growing role of private companies and the possibility that major technology companies may acquire increasing influence over public policy and governance.

Various non-state initiatives and concepts address questions concerning technology, economic organisation, corporate governance, and global governance. These include ideas associated with Alexander C. Karp and Nicholas W. Zamiska's book The Technological Republic, the New Capitalism Project, the Council for Inclusive Capitalism, the concept of stakeholder capitalism, discussions of rethinking capitalism, and the institutional concept of C3N (Neutral Institutional Platform for Global Security and Sustainable Development).

These initiatives and concepts differ in their origins, objectives, and organisational forms. Their emergence reflects broader participation by private and other non-state actors in discussions concerning technology, economics, security, and global governance.

At the same time, non-state initiatives do not replace states and intergovernmental organisations as the principal actors in international law. Their role may instead involve research, policy proposals, institutional development, private-sector activity, and participation in international and transnational cooperation.

New and specialised mechanisms

Alongside existing international organisations, states develop regional, local, and specialised mechanisms to address specific security problems. Such mechanisms may operate alongside existing institutions and contribute to the development of specialised arrangements and the institutional diversification of international cooperation. They may also be established to address particular conflicts or regional security problems.

The emergence of such mechanisms does not necessarily constitute the formation of a new international security system. Their significance depends on their capacity to address specific problems, their relationship with existing institutions, and their ability to operate effectively over an extended period.

Main areas of debate

Academic and policy discussions identify several approaches to the future development of the international security system. The first approach focuses on the reform and adaptation of existing international institutions, including the United Nations. The second approach emphasises multipolarity and the need to account for changes in the political, economic, and military distribution of power, as well as changing relations among states and regions. The third approach focuses on regionalisation, under which regional organisations may assume greater responsibility for security and political coordination. The fourth concerns international governance of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, digital infrastructure, and data governance. The fifth approach emphasises state sovereignty and the principle of non-intervention as important elements of international stability.

These approaches are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Reform of international institutions may occur alongside the development of regional mechanisms, digital governance, and specialised forms of international cooperation.

The approaches also reflect different understandings of the nature of international order. Some scholars examine international order primarily in terms of institutions and rules, while others emphasise historical, regional, cultural, and discursive differences.

Contemporary debates

In 2026, the international security system continues to operate through established institutions and principles, including the Charter of the United Nations, international law, collective security mechanisms, and regional organisations. At the same time, geopolitical changes, competition among major powers, armed conflicts, technological development, and transnational threats have contributed to debates about the adequacy of existing institutions. The Pact for the Future and the Global Digital Compact are examples of efforts to adapt international cooperation to contemporary challenges.

Contemporary research examines transformations in international order but does not provide a single completed institutional model for a new international security system. The formation of such a system therefore remains a subject of academic and policy debate involving different and sometimes competing approaches.

Possible directions of future development include reform of existing institutions, changes in the distribution of international influence, the development of regional and specialised mechanisms, international governance of emerging technologies, and combinations of these approaches.

See also

International security International relations International order Global governance Collective security Multipolarity Reform of the United Nations Security Council Strategic autonomy Cybersecurity Pact for the Future Global Digital Compact