Current transnational realities, such as migration and irregular immigration, can result in xenophobic and exclusionary tendencies in host societies. For this reason, an understanding of the security of groups and cultures within and beyond states is an urgent imperative. Greater tolerance, inclusion and understanding of cultures and respect for diversity could mitigate some of the most pressing security concerns of today.
Sustainable global security is not just about coexistence of cultural groups but a synergy between them. Communities are formed by individuals who identify with each other because of a common history, language, religion, political ideology or geographic location. The ideas and practices that constitute these collective identities are essential to their security dimensions. Threats to transcultural security may include: injustices; alienation; exclusion; humiliation; profiling; stereotyping and demonization; and negative portraits in political statements, educational materials and the entertainment industry.
Feelings of shame, fear and rage are inextricably linked to perceptions of alienation and injustice, and the lack of control over the situation results in despair. This in turn may lead to fatalistic attitudes by a group, coupled with tension and conflict between diverse communities within a state population or between a community and the state itself. One of the more pressing security issues today is linked to how countries manage cultural pluralism and advance the idea of transcultural harmony and synergy using all instruments of the state and society.