Recent Munich Security Conference highlighted the 'overlapping complexity' within today's international threats

The way that countries manage their security and defence against international threats such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the war in Gaza, and the threat of military escalation in east Asia, be it in Taiwan, the South China Sea or the Korean peninsula, have highlighted how countries are threatened by connected risk. 

According to an article in The Guardian newspaper, “recognition of the overlapping complexity was on full display at the recent Munich security conference, the annual gathering known as the Davos of defence.” 

The main connected risk threats were summed up in key takeaways from the conference: 

The conference summary notes that: “many countries are narrowing their horizons, focusing on protecting their own “slice of the pie” rather than attempting cooperation that provides inclusive benefits. The Munich Security Report 2024 thus asks whether such thinking could lead the world into a vicious cycle of “lose-lose” dynamics.” 

Opening the conference, UN Secretary-General António Guterres named the inability to solve enduring crises – like those in the Sahel, Sudan, or Haiti addressed in Munich – as evidence that “today’s global order is not working for everyone. In fact,it’s not working for anyone", he said   

As The Guardian reports: “The world is ever more connected. Nowhere is this clearer than in the conflicts unfolding now, from the global food and energy crises triggered by the impact of Russia’s assault on Ukraine to the genocide case against Israel brought by South Africa at the international court of justice, or the Houthis’ disruption of global trade routes by attacking vessels passing through the Red Sea.” 

The challenges thrown up by connected risk require a connected solution. From a global geopolitical standpoint, that means more co-operation, transparency and collaboration. The same also hold true for (re)insurance firms, corporates and risk professionals who help their businesses to navigate a path through today’s complex, connected world.