Global Trends and Geopolitics in 2026: A Look Ahead

An expert panel of scholars from the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies offers a forward-looking conversation about the emerging risks, opportunities, and policy implications in the increasingly complex global landscape of 2026. Featuring: Colin Kahl — Director of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and Steven C. Házy Senior Fellow at the Center for International Security and Cooperation; former under secretary of defense for policy at the U.S. Department of Defense. Larry Diamond — Mosbacher Senior Fellow in Global Democracy at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies; the William L. Clayton Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution; and expert on global trends affecting freedom and democracy. Anna Grzymała-Busse — Director of The Europe Center and senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies; specializing in political parties, state development and transformation, informal political institutions, religion and politics, and post-communist politics. Harold Trinkunas — Senior research fellow and deputy director of the Center for International Security and Cooperation, with a focus on issues related to foreign policy, governance, and security, particularly in Latin America. Or Rabinowitz — Visiting scholar at the Center for International Security and Cooperation and the Jan Koum Israel Studies Program, with research into nuclear proliferation, intelligence studies, and Israeli American relations.