026 is going to be important.
The last year was chock full of the unprecedented. Volatility and uncertainty were staples. It might be easy to feel despair in the face of all this immediate disruption, especially as polycrisis challenges loom in the background. Indeed, the scope of the work ahead of us is daunting. But any period of disruption is also a time of opportunity, and amid the chaos there are hopeful signals. At Diplomatic Courier, that is our unofficial motto for 2026, and that mindset is reflected in this year’s Davos Dialogues special edition.
Disruptions inevitably change our governance and institutional structures, opening a unique opportunity to shape their transformation. We must learn the gaps in our institutions and governments—and determine how to bridge them.
This reality is why we are focusing on multi-stakeholder, multi-track diplomacy—where we know private sector, non-profit, and charitable stakeholders are keen to play more proactive roles. They want to evolve, moving from business as usual to co-creators of solutions to some of our most daunting contemporary challenges. We aim to be partners on that path.
This special edition is different from what we’ve published in the past—a collection of smart analyses curated to be especially relevant to the moment, Instead, this is our articulation of an emerging theory of change.
In Chapter 1, our experts analyze institutional gaps—what went wrong and what comes next?
In Chapter 2, we’ve curated commentaries and essays from our network that we think powerfully illustrate some of the emerging signals from 2025 that must inform positive action moving forward.
Finally, in Chapter 3, we present the audacious projects we are co-designing with members of our World in 2050 Brain Trust. This reflects World in 2050’s next stage of evolution—from ideation to action and impact.
Diplomatic Courier is observing its 20th year of life in 2026, and it’s looking to be our most exciting and, we think, productive year thus far. We’re grateful to have you along for the journey.
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Disruption is opportunity
Photo by Thierry Delafontaine on Unsplash
January 15, 2026
Volatility and uncertainty were staples of 2025, but amid the noise—as leaders from around the world gather for this year’s World Economic Forum—there are hopeful signals emerging for what is to come, writes Dr. Shane C. Szarkowski.
2
026 is going to be important.
The last year was chock full of the unprecedented. Volatility and uncertainty were staples. It might be easy to feel despair in the face of all this immediate disruption, especially as polycrisis challenges loom in the background. Indeed, the scope of the work ahead of us is daunting. But any period of disruption is also a time of opportunity, and amid the chaos there are hopeful signals. At Diplomatic Courier, that is our unofficial motto for 2026, and that mindset is reflected in this year’s Davos Dialogues special edition.
Disruptions inevitably change our governance and institutional structures, opening a unique opportunity to shape their transformation. We must learn the gaps in our institutions and governments—and determine how to bridge them.
This reality is why we are focusing on multi-stakeholder, multi-track diplomacy—where we know private sector, non-profit, and charitable stakeholders are keen to play more proactive roles. They want to evolve, moving from business as usual to co-creators of solutions to some of our most daunting contemporary challenges. We aim to be partners on that path.
This special edition is different from what we’ve published in the past—a collection of smart analyses curated to be especially relevant to the moment, Instead, this is our articulation of an emerging theory of change.
In Chapter 1, our experts analyze institutional gaps—what went wrong and what comes next?
In Chapter 2, we’ve curated commentaries and essays from our network that we think powerfully illustrate some of the emerging signals from 2025 that must inform positive action moving forward.
Finally, in Chapter 3, we present the audacious projects we are co-designing with members of our World in 2050 Brain Trust. This reflects World in 2050’s next stage of evolution—from ideation to action and impact.
Diplomatic Courier is observing its 20th year of life in 2026, and it’s looking to be our most exciting and, we think, productive year thus far. We’re grateful to have you along for the journey.
