Singapore's President S.R. Nathan said on Monday that four key trends, including globalization, rising Asia, global terrorism and non-traditional security challenges, will drive global developments and international relations in the coming years.
He made the remarks at a lecture to launch the Foreign Ministry's Diplomatic Academy.
He said the first key trend that drive the future is globalization.
"There is now a more intricate matrix of great power relations, fueled by growing economic interdependence," he said, adding "the technology that drives globalization is also compressing space, accelerating time and broadening the scope of international change in historically unprecedented ways."
Although the United States will remain the most influential global actor, the president said that Asia is on a growth trajectory.
In fighting against the evolving strategic framework in Asia, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries have decided to accelerate and deepen integration.
The ASEAN Charter, signed by member nations' leaders last November in order to transform the bloc into a more rules-based community, "will fundamentally transform the organization and the entire region over the long term," Nathan said.
He also noted that global terrorism will remain a major threat to international security.
Governments around the world have made some progress but the threat remains. He pointed out that terrorism must be fought with both ideas and armies, because it engages not just reason but religious faith.
He also said that non-traditional security challenges like climate change, environmental degradation and competition for resources are coming to the fore of the international agenda.
Source: Xinhua
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