Great Power Coordination
How can we coordinate action between the Great Powers to address existential and global catastrophic risks?
This profile is most likely to be relevant to students studying economics, history, law, political science (particularly international relations) and sociology, but we expect there to be valuable open research questions that could be pursued by students in other disciplines.
Why is this a pressing problem?
Existential and global catastrophic risks – such as the engineering of dangerous pathogens, the risks posed by increasingly powerful AI, and the possibility of nuclear war – cannot be addressed by countries in isolation. These are complex, global problems that require a cooperative, coordinated response by multiple countries – especially China, the US, India and Russia – and across multiple levels, including governments, research labs, non-state actors, and individuals.
To identify effective strategies for coordination, there needs to be a good understanding of the diverse perspectives, cultural norms, incentives and institutions in different countries, as well as potential areas of common ground. This requires further research on existential and global catastrophic risks in the context of multiple great power countries.
Research on the relationship between the US and China is especially vital because of the economic, technological and military power of these two countries. Recently, this topic has been highlighted as a neglected and pressing problem by 80,000 Hours (see Improving China-Western Coordination & China-related AI safety and governance paths). According to power transition theory, there is greater potential for conflict between the US & China as the power of the challenger nation (China) reaches that of the established nation (US). However, it is also important to understand and evaluate evolving dynamics between all the great powers.
Watch the talk below from Brian Tse to learn more about the need for AI safety coordination between the US & China.
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Contributors: This profile was first published 5/12/22 and last updated 22/12/22. Thanks to Hana McMahon-Cole for writing this profile. Thanks to Jenny Xiao and Kwan Yee Ng for helpful feedback. All errors remain our own. Learn more about how we create our profiles.
