Is the world becoming more dangerous?

Is the world becoming more dangerous? This question was recently asked by strategists, scholars and foreign policy practitioners from across the world at Ditchley Park, Oxfordshire, without an affirmative answer.

Looking back at 2014, the sky of the West didn't have much of a silver lining. The key words that marked the year were Russia, Islamic State and defense spending. The Cold War ended a long time ago, but Russia looks like a threat again to the West. The IS is the most alarming of developments because terrorists can no longer be simplistically identified only as people from the Muslim world. According to CNN, at least 2,000 Europeans have traveled to Syria to join the IS. Many of them are now back in Europe fighting for radical Islam. In spite of these threats, public interest in defense spending is low. No matter how justifiable it might be, NATO's standard of 2 percent of member states' GDP will not be easy for most of them.

In the Asia-Pacific region, optimism over the future still prevails. The economies of most Asia-Pacific countries are thriving. China has become the largest-trading country, if not the largest economy, in the world. True, disputes over islands and reefs have intensified and tensions have flared up sometimes, but things have not got out of control. China and ASEAN are negotiating on a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea. China and Vietnam have agreed to establish a hotline. A similar hotline between China and ASEAN has been proposed by China. Nobody is talking about a war.