Global Trends : Dominant Theme Captured in Bidens 2022 National Security Strategy

One of the themes that, as the authors of the Global Trends 2040 indicate, will likely impact the strategic environment over the next twenty years is Global Challenges. More specifically, as the authors point out, there are number of challenges that have a high likelihood of manifesting in intense and frequent formats across various countries and/or regions. These are inclusive of technology disruptions, financial crises, disease, and climate change (National Intelligence Council, 2021). There is no doubt that these will bring about significant strain and suffering. The fact that these concerns will not only cascade, but also become intertwined in some instances only serves to make the situation direr. This appears to be the very theme that the 2022 NSS identifies as being more important than the other four themes. This is more so the case given that some of the factors that are likely to shape the next stage of human history have been identified by the 2022 NSS as being inclusive of food security, pandemic preparedness, and climate change. These factors rhyme with the shared global challenges identified by the Global Trends 2040. The 2022 NSS is categorical that although there exists the need for the United States to outcompete its rivals, there exists an even greater need to tackle these shared challenges. It is important to note that the United States identifies the relevance of roping in and involve like-minded partners and allies in efforts to tackle the challenges identified. More specifically, as President Biden points out in the 2022 National Security Strategy, shared challenges that impact people everywhere demand increased global cooperation and nations stepping up to their responsibilities... (The White House, 2022, p. 2). Thus, the president appears to be cognizant of the fact that the US and other nations face shared threats that must be tackled in a collaborative format.

References

National Intelligence Council (2021). Global Trends 2040: A More Contested World. https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/GlobalTrends_2040.pdf

The White House (2022). National Security Strategy. https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Biden-Harris-Administrations-National-Security-Strategy-10.2022.pdf