SOME 70 sovereign states existed before World War II. Today, some 195 are UN member states. Globalisation, modern technology, climate change, political instability, social media and changing values pose challenges to states. The first two increased the speed of interactions but also limited states’ ability to control their own economy, with institutions like FATF expecting adherence to set rules. Climate change displaces people, disrupts food security and affects infrastructure and livelihoods. It challenges state capacity. In 2022, Pakistan, Belize and Italy were ranked by the Climate Risk Index as the most affected by extreme weather. Globally, from 1993 to 2022, extreme weather led to $4.2 trillion in losses.

Post-9/11, some states face cross-border terrorism and insurgencies, cross-border training camps, spill-over of regional violence, refugee influx, parallel governance structures set up by violent non-state actors, arms and human trafficking. In poorly governed areas, VNSAs block service delivery by attacking government installations and disrupting anti-polio drives. Extremists spread misinformation via social media to destabilise societies and weaken democratic processes. Low media literacy prevents people from distinguishing between false and........

© Dawn