The world is entering a more unstable and fragmented phase as global cooperation declines and rivalry between major powers intensifies, the World Economic Forum has warned.
In its Global Risks Report 2026, the forum said uncertainty had become the defining feature of the global outlook, based on insights from more than 1,300 experts worldwide.
Half of those surveyed said they expected the next two years to be turbulent or stormy, rising to 57% over the next decade. Just 1% anticipated a calm global environment.
The report identified geoeconomic confrontation as the most immediate global threat in 2026, followed closely by state-based armed conflict.
Trade disputes, protectionism and the use of economic pressure by major powers were cited as key drivers of instability, increasing the risk of wider confrontation.
Economic risks were also intensifying, with experts warning of higher chances of downturns, inflation and asset bubbles amid elevated debt levels and fragile financial markets.
Technological risks are accelerating, the report said, as misinformation, cyber insecurity and the long-term impact of artificial intelligence outstrip existing governance frameworks.
The report also highlighted a retreat from multilateralism, with trust between nations eroding as governments turn inward and cooperation gives way to competition.
Social pressures are mounting, with inequality described as the most interconnected global risk and political polarisation threatening social cohesion.
While environmental risks were seen as less urgent in the short term, they remain the most severe over the longer horizon, with extreme weather and climate change dominating the 10-year outlook.
Looking ahead, nearly 70% of experts said they expected a multipolar and fragmented global order driven more by rivalry than cooperation, warning that choices made now would shape global stability for years to come.
Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for the 9th of November 2026. From a spy investigation shaking Silicon Valley to rising geopolitical tensions, th...
A passport application might seem an ordinary administrative request. For Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh's ousted prime minister, it could mark the ...
Nvidia has launched an independent investigation into whether its chief executive, Jensen Huang, was targeted in a foreign intelligence operat...
Poland has declared two days of national mourning after a gunman opened fire in Kraków's historic main square. Investigators are examining possible far-right influences and the discovery of three bodies at the suspect's home.
Monday marks the second of two days of national mourning in Poland as police bolstered security after six people were killed in a mass shooting in Kraków.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles fired by the Iran-aligned group towards Riyadh on Sunday (8 November), after loud booms were heard in the Saudi capital. The Aramco building was damaged by falling debris.
New Zealand’s ruling centre-right National Party has taken a narrow lead over the opposition Labour Party in Saturday’s general election, with the country’s current three-party coalition projected to retain power.
Azerbaijan is marking the sixth anniversary of Victory Day on Sunday, 8 November, with President Ilham Aliyev visiting the Victory Monument in Khankendi, laying a wreath and paying tribute to servicemen killed during the 44-day Second Garabagh War in 2020.
Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for the 9th of November 2026. From a spy investigation shaking Silicon Valley to rising geopolitical tensions, these are the five stories you need to know today.
A passport application might seem an ordinary administrative request. For Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh's ousted prime minister, it could mark the beginning of one of the country's most consequential political homecomings.
Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) will meet in Paris on Monday to assess whether the Democrats' gains in the U.S. midterm elections could influence President Donald Trump's foreign policy, particularly on Ukraine and the Middle East.
At least seven people have been killed and more than 125 injured after two passenger trains collided in Egypt’s Giza province, south of Cairo, on Sunday.
The gunman who allegedly killed six people in Poland’s unprecedented mass shooting in central Kraków on Saturday has died in hospital, police said early Monday. The attacker had demonstrated advanced military-style marksmanship skills, according to a spokesperson for the shooting club he attended.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment