Navigating Global Paradoxes: A Pre-2026 World Economic Forum Insight

World Economic Forum experts spotlight the paradoxes of global dynamics ahead of 2026. With tensions between cooperation and competition, changing migration policies, and demographic shifts, these contradictions reveal the complex challenges nations face. As leaders prepare, the need for innovative strategies and cooperation remains critical to shaping the future global landscape.

In anticipation of the 2026 Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF), experts are highlighting the paradoxes shaping the global landscape. This year, the complex interplay between geopolitics and economics underscores a growing tension between major powers' competition and cooperation.

Leading voices like Mark Leonard of the European Council on Foreign Relations call attention to Europe's paradoxical shift from a peace project to a security-focused entity. The European Union's pivot towards 'de-risking' from the US and China while deepening its single market marks a significant transformation.

Rachel Glennerster from the Centre for Global Development identifies the paradox in migration: tightening immigration policies in wealthy nations despite reliance on foreign labor. At the same time, demographic shifts are reshaping politics and economy, as highlighted by Hudson Institute's Walter Russell Mead. Meanwhile, Alexander Gabuev from the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center discusses how Western sanctions inadvertently bolster the resilience of certain nations, challenging the US economic dominance.

Geopolitical rivalries and internal policies pose challenges to essential global cooperation. As WEF experts emphasize, navigating these paradoxes will be crucial in determining the path of 2026 and beyond, impacting economic interdependence, alliances, and the global order.

(With inputs from agencies.)