Global disorder, and the interlinked crises that comprise and contribute to it, is the biggest challenge facing national and international politics, economy and society today.

In this mini-series, the Foreign Policy Centre and City St George’s, University of London, have collaborated to examine some of the key drivers of global disorder today.

Wars, economic precarity, the growth  in the use and sophistication of disruptive technologies, including artificial intelligence, as well as the continued erosion to the rule of law and the rules-based order, repression of media freedom, and widespread discontentment with governments and transnational corporations, along with rise of authoritarianism and illiberal democracies, highlight the considerable fracturing impact that “disorder” can create. 

Our times are characterised by crises in every domain that are simultaneous, overlapping, and intersecting. This compounds the crises and complicates approaches to policy solutions.  To address these issues we need to better understand the drivers behind them. 

Six drivers of global disorder were examined by our experts, with their contributions available to read below.