World in Transition: Shaping the Agenda

 
Welcome to World in Transition.

At UNSW Canberra, we believe universities have a responsibility not only to analyse change, but to help society respond to it. Australia is operating in a more contested, less predictable environment, shaped by geopolitical rivalry, technological disruption and growing pressure on the systems that underpin national resilience. World in Transition has been created to support serious, practical engagement with those changes and to assist in driving positive societal impact in accordance with UNSW’s Progress for All strategy.

Our program brings together academic expertise and lived policy experience in order to ask difficult questions well: where are Australia’s vulnerabilities, where are its opportunities, and what would a more capable, resilient national response look like? By convening leading voices across government, defence, industry and academia, we aim to contribute to a stronger public conversation and more effective policy thinking.

We are delighted to share this program with you and invite you to follow the conversations, explore the program outputs and stay connected as the series develops.

 
Welcome to World in Transition.

Australia's strategic circumstances are distinctive. As an island continent and internationally-connected trading nation dependent on a stable global system, with an enduring stake in the stability and prosperity of our neighbours, we live in the world's most dynamic and contested region. Today’s rapidly-accelerating transition to a multipolar world order carries significant risk of war between our traditional security partner, the United States, and our key economic partner, China. Technological innovation is transforming all aspects of life including, but not limited to, military conflict and economic sustainability. A continuing collapse of confidence in institutions, experts and incumbents worldwide is reshaping the environment in which governments, businesses and civic institutions operate. Artificial Intelligence is disrupting employment, raising the cost of energy and threatening social cohesion. The COVID-19 pandemic and the Iran War energy shock both highlight how interdependence and efficiency—the organising principles of a legacy global system built for a far more stable environment—may now multiply risks.

For Australia, these shifts demand that we think differently about a host of issues that might once have seemed settled but are now increasingly contested, including nuclear energy, the US alliance, immigration, climate, the cost of living, housing and industry policy. They demand a focus on national resilience, conceptualised not simply as the capacity to recover from disruption, but to anticipate change, strengthen national capability and preserve the freedom to make sovereign choices in a rapidly-changing world.

UNSW Canberra established World in Transition to help Australians think more clearly about these challenges. Our aim is to bring together leading thinkers and practitioners from government, defence, industry, and academia to examine how strategic competition is reshaping the systems on which our security and prosperity depend. The central question is this: how do Australians build a nation that is resilient enough to absorb and recover from shocks, agile enough to adapt, cohesive enough to act in its own interest, and capable enough to shape its own future?

At UNSW Canberra, we have a responsibility not only to understand these changes but to help Australia respond to them. In keeping with UNSW's Progress for All strategy, we are committed to translating research into real-world impact by connecting rigorous scholarship with practical experience, challenging established assumptions, and fostering informed debate that leads to better policy and stronger institutions. National resilience cannot be delivered by government alone. It depends on partnerships across society, a shared understanding of risk and opportunity, and a sustained commitment to strengthening the capabilities that underpin our sovereignty.

I invite you to engage with World in Transition, explore the ideas and findings emerging from the program, offer your own perspectives, and join this important conversation. By bringing together diverse expertise and serious, evidence-based dialogue, this initiative seeks to make a practical contribution to Australia's capacity to navigate an increasingly complex and uncertain world.