Bringing Prosperity, Security and Social Wellbeing Together in the National Interest in a Messy World

Over the past few years, the economic and security policy domains have become more complex and increasingly connected. To this already volatile mix has been added the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only is the pandemic the most serious social and economic disruption since World War II, with big and long-lived consequences, but also it has deepened existing stresses on the international system, such as US–China strategic competition and economic nationalism, and weakened international institutions that guide interaction between nations. The pandemic has also accelerated some underlying changes, such as the digitisation of economic and social interaction, the changing nature of work, and, perhaps, trust in government and institutions. There is a lot at stake now in what sort of society we want to be. It is important to think carefully and comprehensively about what is going on, and t