Such circumstances of greater geopolitical competition affect the established international order, and blur the limits between peace and conflict, which today take on forms other than purely military ones. The growth in so-called hybrid conflicts and actions is wor th highlighting. These kinds of actions are those involving both States and nonState actors, which combine the use of military means with cyberattacks, elements of economic pressure, or influence campaigns on social media. The necessary consensus for multilateral cooperation and strengthening of common rules is therefore more difficult to achieve, as made manifest by such major security crises as the conflict in Syria or the challenge of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Globalization has accelerated interdependence, but this has not been accompanied by a strengthening of global organizations to better meet the challenges of the times. There is a trend towards the unilateralization of security, and resor ting to individual actions for resolving disputes. New forums and ad hoc, regional, or sectoral groups can represent positive examples of cooperation. They can also reflect a distancing from established mechanisms for international peacekeeping and security. In terms of economic governance, there has been a surge of protectionism within a globalized economy.The international system’s plurilateral conventions, such as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Par tnership, face uncer tain prospects for success. Bilateralism has come into its own in the commercial arena. Meanwhile, the advanced economies’ slowdown in productivity growth, high levels of debt, and the lack of investment could contribute to a pattern of weak growth. 32 National Security Strategy 2017 Presidency of the Government