ABSTRACT
C R I S I S A N D T H E I N T E R N A T I O N A L SYSTEM Inherent in the secretary-general's reference to blurred boundaries is an assumption about the interconnectedness of states and societies that has now become part and parcel of academic and policy thinking on security issues. While the extent, nature, and implications of various globalizing tendencies can be debated, few would argue that the phenomenon does not exist. The result is an outlook that sees events and crises as newly threatening in two ways. First, there is the prospect of a set of unanticipated threats, well illustrated by the SARS example. Second is the fact that such threats, as well as more known risks, now have the potential to threaten state security even when they originate more than half a world away.
