2011 has been a year of relentless turmoil and chaos with the upheaval in the Arab world, the riot in Britain and the Occupy Wall Street movement. On August 30, the British Financial Times referred to 2011 as the "year of global indignation."

How should we view these waves of turmoil? How should we understand the underlying causes? How can we establish an international order that will provide stability over the long term? On December 4, the Sixth Tsinghua International Security Forum was held in Beijing, and released a report answering the above questions and appealing for the construction of an orderly international system.

The report says the consequences of the global financial crisis began to take a toll on societies, with both the international community and domestic communities overwhelmed with instability. The source of this instability has not been conflict between states, but instead increasingly intense social contradictions within states.

The deeper reason for this sequel to the financial crisis is a lack of justice and equality. All of the states that experienced turmoil share common socioeconomic characteristics: rising income disparities, threatened living standards for the middle class, and outrage at the perks and decadence of political and commercial elites.

At the same time, regional conflicts over territory, religion or history have intensified. The global anti-terrorism movement after the September 11 attacks didn't change the situation, while America's two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have created new global challenges at a pace that is too rapid to counter. Terrorist cells in the Middle East, West Asia and Northern Africa have become more active. The threat of nuclear proliferation is also on the rise.

According to the report, the main reason lies in the failings of international institutions. Globalization has resulted in polarization of the international community and communities within states, while the international community lacks effective leadership. America's position as the dominant leader is in decline, and other major powers lack the capacity to compensate for failures in American leadership. In addition, the report holds that the international institutions established after World War II are not able to adapt to transition.

This report also predicts that 2012 will be even more tumultuous than 2011. It will be difficult for the global economy to recover. Strategic rifts between great powers will worsen. Domestic rifts will deepen. Armed conflict will also likely increase.

The report calls for reforms of current international institutions and the establishment of new international economic and political institutions that feature self-adaptability, with principles including consistency of rights and responsibilities, influence by issue area and regional priority.

The report concludes that the turmoil of 2011 indicates a new shift in the international context, and a transition from a unipolar world dominated by the U.S. towards a multipolar world. Institutional reform is required. In order to establish an order that can maintain long term peace and stability, international institutions must have self-adaptability and enhanced leadership capacity so that they can effectively respond to the new reality of a rapidly changing international context.