The 2026 paradox: more force, less progress
Looking around the world, raw power is back: wars, sanctions, aggressive industrial policies, and tight controls on critical minerals and technology. Yet, despite these hard moves, progress on our most important shared goals is stalling or reversing. Climate risks are compounding, and many SDG targets are slipping away. This shows a power paradox: more force on its own cannot solve shared problems.
And yet, soft power is still widely perceived as weak. The question for 2026 is whether you leave it as background noise - or use it to move beyond the status quo, open doors, align coalitions, and unlock outsized outcomes on shared problems.
