image sourced from original article at The world is entering 2026 under the shadow of overlapping crises, with politics, pollution, and power struggles shaping a landscape of permanent disruption. Volatile leadership, weakened international cooperation, and persistent conflicts are amplifying instability, while climate extremes and pollution, such as Delhi's chronic smog, are becoming routine threats to health and productivity. Trade tensions and aggressive foreign policies are straining global alliances and supply chains, while China exerts influence through economic uncertainty and military pressure, especially around Taiwan.
Rapid technological advances, particularly in artificial intelligence, are outpacing regulation and raising concerns about misinformation, privacy, and economic bubbles. Meanwhile, health systems remain vulnerable to new threats like antimicrobial resistance and resurgent diseases, exacerbated by underfunding and climate change. As the world faces these interconnected challenges, the risk is that disruption becomes the new normal, eroding the buffers that once protected societies from crisis.
