NGOS AND GEOPOLITICS
NGOS AND GEOPOLITICS

Summary/Abstract: The future is defined, according to James Canton, a futurist in business, by five factors: speed, expressed by the dizzying pace of change in all fields; complexity, manifested by the assault of a multitude of “seemingly unrelated” forces with a direct effect on the world in which we live, “from lifestyle to work to national and personal security; the risk, not only for individuals but also for states, from terror and crime to "global economic reconfigurations", which will determine the reconfiguration of the entire individual and collective existence; the change, generated by the “radical transformations at work, in the community and at the level of relationships” that will force the individual to adapt to the new reality through radical changes of attitude and way of life; the unforeseen, materialized by the element of surprise, often difficult to imagine, sometimes with a positive effect, sometimes “a challenge for sensitivity and logic”. At present, states are no longer the only actors on the international relations scene. Material equipment for warfare is now widely available to private bodies, as is the means of financing non-state wars. We have a global world, based on transnational private companies, which do everything they can to be controlled as little as possible by even the strongest governments. Of course, the existence of corporations is not new, as is globalization, which has a long history. What differs today, and falls into the rivalry zone, generating tensions worldwide, is that transnational NGOs and companies compete with states. It is no secret that NGOs, humanitarian groups, media trusts, and not just governments, use the services of private contractors in various fields, including the military, as their revenues often exceed the GDP of states. The efforts of governments and international organizations to resolve any kind of confrontation peacefully can be supported by the work of NGOs, which are often seen as a collective conscience. Conflicts within states, often maintained and sustained by non-state competitors, have become more serious and can continue indefinitely, without a reliable prediction as to their consequences for the political and territorial development of the state.

• Details
• Contents