How to achieve 21st Century security in a multi-polar, multi-conceptual, and hyperconnected world where national and international security form a cluster of issues that reinforce each other? Think of domestic turmoil and populism in systemically important countries; the United States turning inward, or China imploding; lack of state capacity, e.g. to address rising cost of living and inflation; power competition in the Indo-Asia-Pacific; wars in Ukraine and the Middle East; nuclear escalation of great power conflict; the next pandemic; climate emergencies; disruptive technologies spinning out of control; the global economy fracturing into blocs; weaponized interdependence; and disruptions in global supply chains. Today’s security challenges tend to be complex problems without passport. They are not confined by sovereign borders, or limited to regions, spanning often more than one human generation. Hence, 21st Century security ought to be addressed in their wider systemic and long-term context, as clusters of issues can cascade into a ‘polycrisis’, impacting multiple systems in ways that significantly degrade humanity's prospects across generations.
In this advanced course, students will get a better understanding of how international security is challenged by the risk of systemic disruptions that not only spread within a single system but may also spill over into other systems. Particular attention will be paid to the trinity of international security, risk, and uncertainty. Identifying, assessing, and mitigating risk are essential capabilities for achieving international security. This course will facilitate the development of transferable skills that help students to strategically imagine plausible risk scenarios most relevant to 21st Century international security.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Interpret and critically evaluate key trends in 21st Century international security, both traditional and non-traditional, in their wider systemic context.
- Illustrate and differentiate the key concepts and challenges that inform international security in global historical perspective.
- Propose, construct, and defend plausible risk scenarios most relevant to 21st Century international security.
- Understand and explain the role of science and technology in international security.
- Demonstrate critical thinking in practice across verbal and written communication.
Indicative Assessment
- Participation (10) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
- Defining national security in the 21st Century (500 words) (20) [LO 1,4,5]
- Reading responses (1000 words) (30) [LO 1,2,4,5]
- Country-based global risk assessment (3000 words) (40) [LO 1,3,4,5]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
This course requires 130 hours compromising seminars as well as associated preparation, independent study, and assessment time.
Prescribed Texts
No prescribed texts are currently required for this course. All readings will be provided electronically via Canvas.
Preliminary Reading
Adler, E., & Barnett, M. (Eds.) (1998). Security communities. Cambridge University Press.
Aradau, C., & Blanke, T. (2022). Algorithmic reason: the new government of self and other. Oxford University Press.
Buzan, B. (1991). People, states and fear: an agenda for international security studies in the post-cold war era (2nd ed.). Harvester Wheatsheaf.
Buzan, B., & Hansen, L. (2009). The evolution of international security studies. Cambridge University Press.
Caballero-Anthony, M. (2018). Negotiating governance on non-traditional security in Southeast Asia and beyond. Columbia University Press.
Duffield, M. (2014). Global governance and the new wars: the merging of development and security (2nd ed.). Zed Books.
Ferguson, N. (2022). Doom: the politics of catastrophe. Penguin.
Foucault, M. (2003). ‘Society must be defended’: lectures at the Collège de France, 1975-76 (M. Bertani, A. Fontana, & F. Ewald, Eds.; D. Macey, Trans.; 1st edition.). Picador.
Frankopan, P. (2023). The earth transformed: an untold history. Alfred A. Knopf.
Freedman, L. (2018). The future of war: a history (First edition). Penguin.
Grayson, K., & Guillaume, X. (Eds.). (2023). Security studies: critical perspectives. Oxford University Press.
Harari, Y. N. (2017). Homo Deus: A brief history of tomorrow. Vintage.
Heffernan, M. (2020). Uncharted: how uncertainty can power change. Simon & Schuster.
Kaldor, M. (2012). New and old wars: organised violence in a global era. (3rd ed.). Polity.
Kang, D. C., Wong, J. S. H., & Chan, Z. T. (2025). ‘What does China want?’ International Security, Vol. 50, Issue 1, pp. 46-81.
Kissinger, H., Schmidt, E., & Huttenlocher, D. (2022). The age of AI. John Murray.
Knight, F. H. (1921). Risk, uncertainty and profit. Houghton Mifflin Company.
Martel, S. (2022). Enacting the security community: ASEAN’s never-ending story. Stanford University Press.
Office of the Director of National Intelligence. (2021). Global Trends 2040: a more contested world. National Intelligence Counc
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2026 | $4920 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2026 | $6660 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
First Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3725 | 23 Feb 2026 | 02 Mar 2026 | 31 Mar 2026 | 29 May 2026 | In Person | N/A |