People and nations face growing levels of uncertainty. Whether as individuals tired of crime and violence, as people in the workplace afraid of growing unemployment and a declining quality of jobs, or as members of communities which seem to have lost their sense of values and direction, all of us feel insecure. This feeling of insecurity stems not only from the natural uncertainties of change, but mainly from a feeling that much of what is going on is not fair and that we need to reestablish a sense of equity and equality of opportunity in most societies. Human insecurity leads to social tensions-this we see every day.
Tensions lead to unrest, unrest to conflict, and conflict to political instability.
This is our biggest risk. It is not even exclusively a country risk. In many relatively stable countries there are communities and cities where you will be much more careful in your investments. These are the places where, roiling beneath the surface, people feel the cards are stacked against them and the dice so loaded that they will never have an opportunity to realize their individual potential. How we all address the need to enhance human security will have a profound effect on world stability and the way in which we do business.