Conflicting international priorities

There is no international consensus on human priorities, and a constant struggle for time, money, human, technical and material resources diverts a great amount of energy into political and ideological conflict. Local priorities obscure national priorities, and national priorities obscure international ones. The divisive forces in world society are endless. Although some progress is being made, international efforts to secure agreements are pursued on a piecemeal basis. The development of world agendas may be said to have begun in recent years, with the focusing on anywhere from two dozen to over a hundred key problems, but it is impossible to find world agreement as to which have more claim to immediate attention than others and the means to deal with them.

The response of the international community to the conflict in Yugoslavia is a classic example of failure to reach agreement.

1. Policy disputes
2. Lack of international cooperation
3. General obstacles to problem alleviation

1. Private international trade and investment disputes
2. Parochial national interests
3. Non-global priorities for use of world resources
4. Imposition of national priorities on other countries
5. Financial and economic disputes between states and nationals of other states
6. Conflicts of national law in relation to international transactions
7. Conflicting concepts of conservation

1. Vulnerability of environmental systems to globalization
2. Policy disputes within nations
3. Obstruction of international criminal investigations
4. Limited acceptance of international treaties
5. Lack of international policy on specific issues
6. Inadequate implementation of plans and programmes against problems
7. Inadequate global consensus concerning problems and prospects of humanity
8. Inadequacy of international standards
9. Inadequacy of intergovernmental decision-making process
10. Foreign military intervention
11. Failure of development policies
12. Disagreement within alliances
13. Deficiencies in international law
14. Damage to the environment during national crises

1. Untested efficacy of environmental policy
2. Unpredictable governmental policy
3. Uncoordinated government policy-making
4. Policy cross-conditionality restrictions in multilateral development aid
5. Interdependence
6. Inadequate informal contact among government leaders
7. Inadequate global policy-making
8. Governmental disregard for international values and procedures
9. Domination of government policy-making by short-term considerations
10. Conflicts of interest
11. Conflict of laws
12. Absence of clear priorities

1. Territorial disputes between states
2. Border incidents and violence

1. Uniting nations
2. Setting national priorities
3. Reducing political differences among countries
4. Reducing ideological rivalry
5. Promoting intergovernmental dialogue
6. Negotiating international policy
7. Negotiating intergovernmental disputes
8. Needing consensus on international policy
9. Indicating need for political alliances
10. Implementing national policy process
11. Exploiting ideological differences
12. Ensuring national policy-making in a global world
13. Dividing nations
14. Agreeing about international priorities
15. Advocating ideological conflict
16. Abstaining from common international policy

1. Disagreement
2. Difference
3. Absence
4. Gridlock
5. Conflict
6. Lack
7. Division
8. Incompatibility
9. Dispute