"We should be very concerned about the level of polarization we are seeing," said the former leader, who was speaking on a panel at the Milken Institute Global Conference. "This is not about people supporting one political party or another," she stressed.

May warned of the dangers of absolutist thinking, where anyone who is 100% on one side is a saint and 100% on the other side is a devil. "There is very little compromise these days," she noted. "Politics is in fact all about balance and compromise." 

The former prime minister said she was "particularly concerned" about the effect of social media in narrowing public discourse, which amplifies users' own positions rather than exposing them to different points of view. 

"Social media companies have a social responsibility," she stressed, noting that it is a difficult problem to solve and that it is addicting younger generations. 

The panel, which focused on the state of the world and its major conflicts, also featured Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister Xavier Bettel. The leader said that the European Union is showing leadership in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and argued that the EU should have "less unanimity and more majority voting." 

The war in Ukraine was not the only major conflict discussed, however. With Hamas provisionally accepting a ceasefire and the Israeli military poised to invade Rafah, the Middle East dominated the discussion. 

"The center of gravity is not Hamas," said Admiral James Stavridis, former Supreme Allied Commander at NATO. "You don't win by killing people. The center of gravity is the tunnel complex," he continued, warning that Israel will not stop until that complex is no longer operational. 

Stavridis also called an incursion into Rafah inevitable, despite it being an "incredibly complex military challenge" due to the need for mass evacuations. 

Michael Froman, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, took the discussion to the next stage. "What happens in Gaza after the military campaign is over?" he asked. "Who is going to provide security? There are no good answers to this." 

Still, Froman pointed to positive signs coming from moderate Arab states that Israel can work with to counter the Iranian threat, and that such cooperation could be part of a realignment and a lasting solution. 

The official said that the big question is whether Europe gets its act together and finds a path to economic growth, which has lagged in recent decades. 

"In 2008, the economies of the Eurozone and the United States were roughly the same size," he noted. "The US economy is now 75% larger than the Eurozone. Europe has not found a path to growth," he stressed. "In the long run, the transatlantic relationship will be stronger if Europe is stronger and finds that path to growth." 

The Milken Institute Global Conference is taking place at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles and runs until Wednesday, May 8. 

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