In its 2026 report, the World Economic Forum draws a roadmap for a world entering a new phase of “compound uncertainty” — one in which crises overlap and risks feed into one another, at a historic moment when the ability to predict and control events is steadily eroding.
Based on the views of 1,300 experts in economics, security, technology, the environment, and public policy, the report asserts that the world is facing a series of interconnected crises, where a minor disruption in one sector can trigger cascading effects across others.
The report argues that geopolitical tensions have become more dangerous than at any time since the end of the Cold War. Regional wars, great-power competition, and the erosion of traditional deterrence mechanisms have created an environment in which crises can rapidly escalate from a limited conflict into a broader confrontation.
It warns of the growing use of proxy wars and the deployment of economic sanctions as long-term weapons, with significant spillover effects on global supply chains. This is compounded by the erosion of trust in international institutions, weakening the global community’s capacity to contain crises.
In such a context, the world is entering a phase in which geopolitical crises may become the norm rather than the exception, with direct consequences for energy prices, food security, and economic growth.
The report places economic stability in the high-risk category, attributing this to multiple overlapping crises, including mounting sovereign debt in both advanced and developing economies, persistent inflation that is squeezing middle- and lower-income groups, and slowing growth in major economies.
It points to a troubling scenario in which localized financial crises could spread into global contagion, as has occurred in past crises — particularly given today’s higher debt levels and narrower policy margins.
One of the report’s most sensitive chapters focuses on artificial intelligence. The Forum does not treat AI merely as a technological success story, but as a source of structural disruption.
The report notes the accelerating pace of automation across broad sectors of the economy, raising the prospect of traditional jobs disappearing faster than markets can generate alternatives. It also highlights a widening gap between countries able to invest in AI and those falling behind.
According to studies linked to the Forum, many global companies expect to reduce their workforce in the coming years due to automation, while simultaneously pledging to retrain employees.
In the technology domain, the report emphasizes that while rapid AI development creates significant economic opportunities, it also poses serious challenges — including job losses, privacy risks, and the potential use of technology for surveillance or cyber conflict.
The report elevates misinformation to the level of a strategic risk, rather than a mere media problem. Experts note that in the age of generative AI, producing fake news and manipulated videos has become cheaper, faster, and easier — raising risks to elections, undermining trust in institutions, and fueling societal polarization.
Some experts argue that information warfare may become more dangerous than conventional military attacks, meaning that national security is no longer solely a military matter, but an informational one as well.
The report stresses that failure to address climate change represents a comprehensive crisis, not merely an environmental one. Increasingly frequent and severe natural disasters threaten food security, strain infrastructure in coastal cities, and drive climate-related displacement.
The deeper message of the 2026 report is that the world’s capacity to manage these risks is declining — due to political polarization, weak international cooperation, technology advancing faster than regulation, and public pressure demanding quick solutions to complex crises.
From an investigative perspective, the report can be read as an early-warning document. The Global Risks Report 2026 does not predict the end of the world, but it clearly states that we are entering an era of compound risks — one in which politics cannot be separated from economics, technology from society, or climate from security.
The real question the report raises is not only about identifying risks, but whether governments and institutions possess the capacity — and the political will — to act before those risks spiral into crises beyond control.
Randa Jebai
Randa Jebai is an award-winning journalist with more than 20 years of experience. She joined Alhurra TV’s investigative team in 2020, earning honors from the AIBs, New York Festivals, and the Telly Awards. She previously worked with major Lebanese outlets and holds master’s degrees in law and journalism.
