An attempt to provide a comprehensive picture of the lessons learned so far from the dramatic experience of the coronavirus pandemic and to look beyond it, seeking to sketch out the likely contours of the future that is in store for all of us.

The essays included in this volume highlight the new dilemmas arising from the tectonic shifts in world geopolitics that the Western community of values has to face now and in the years to come, considering the impact of accumulated security risks caused by growing uncertainties, imbalances, disruptive technologies, emergence of new forms of hybrid and information warfare short of outright armed confrontation, spill‑over of military competition in outer space and cyberspace, and instances of unlawful behaviour by some major international actors such as Russia and China. The accelerated pace of change emphasises the distinction between enablers and spoilers in international affairs, while the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic has added a new layer of concern as a real and present security threat on a global scale.