Multilateralism and global security post-COVID-19

Abstract

Now is the time to recognize health crises, global poverty, and climate crisis as the security threats of the future fully. If the world can mobilize to such a degree in the face of a potentially cataclysmic health event such as the COVID-19 pandemic, then the same – and more – is possible when dealing with the far more extreme crises that are to come. The authors call on multilateral security organizations to shift their understanding of security and framework for action, with the goal that they might view these threats with similar urgency and renewed strength. One would hope that the better part of humanity would come out on the other side of COVID-19 with a renewed sense of purpose – tackling future global health crises, lifting poverty conditions out of developing countries, and forming a robust approach to climate change. It is necessary but not sufficient to call for a shift in global attitudes toward security. This will have limited practical effect if our global multilateral institutions are not effectively supported. The reality is, in recent years, there has been neither the political will to use these multilateral structures nor the resources devoted to pushing bold ideas forward. Leading states’ retreat from multilateral cooperative organizations, a phenomenon that has accelerated in recent years, has constituted a body blow to multilateral cooperation. This has led to a general movement away from multilateral systems and a stagnation of international security cooperation. The task of strengthening constructive engagement among the countries of this seemingly smaller globe is especially timely and important. We should be preparing a new spirit of multilateralism in the face of the far more catastrophic global events that the climate crisis will bring and whose effects are already being felt throughout the world. The inevitable rise of transnational disputes will require concerted multilateral responses, and organizations like the UN and regional bodies such as the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) should once again take a diplomatic lead in promoting international cooperation. Global leaders must now seize the chance to breathe life back into multilateral conflict-prevention and confidence-building tools. Our global multilateral systems must thus be reinvigorated, with the goal that with renewed commitment will come renewed action. As part of this process there is a clear opportunity for a Northeast Asian multilateral security structure, for which there is currently no overarching mechanism. Communication and cooperation between Northeast Asian states regarding traditional security measures will likely develop a collaborative structure and a means by which they can collectively address the wider health, poverty, and climate crises. The OSCE's depth of experience in cooperative security and conflict prevention, in particular its Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC), positions it as a useful aid to develop a similar structure in Northeast Asia. A Northeast Asian multilateral security structure would be a significant mitigating factor for the heightening tensions in the region, thereby strengthening global multilateral security in its entirety.