2015-08-21
421
The idea of issues that are truly global in scale is new ____ us. It emerged late _____ the twentieth century, perhaps when humans first saw images of the Earth from space - a small blue-green planet devoid of boundaries and arbitrary political divisions. The concept is still new enough to be ridiculed or resisted by individuals and institutions that see the world _____ the traditional perspective of state sovereignty.
Regardless ___ their novelty, global issues are so important that they may literally determine the future of the human species. Global issues impact all social, environmental, economic, health, and security concerns. And those concerns are, in themselves, global issues.
At this point, there seems to be only minimal agreement among nations and policymakers ______ the scope and scale of global issues. National perceptions and interests still drive most analyses of, and responses to, them. There is, in fact, no internationally agreed _____ definition of global issues, nor is there a concerted plan of action to deal with them.
We will define global issues as issues that: have significant impacts for large numbers of people, are trans-national, are persistent, or long-acting, are interconnected.
Some of the most critical global issues confronting us ____ the beginning of the 21st century: population, the rich - poor gap, food and water security, environment, health, economy, energy, peace and conflict, governance.
What is important to remember as we explore there issues is that while they may be daunting – and at times even frightening – they also provide us ____ rare opportunities. As Israeli statesman Abba Eban said, History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives. As other alternatives disappear, and as the impacts of these issues multiply, the imperative and the opportunity _____ positive change increases.
