The biggest geopolitical risks of 2026 revealed

54 snips

Jan 8, 2026

Cliff Kupchan, Chairman of Eurasia Group and expert on geopolitical risks, joins a panel discussing the transformative year of 2026. They explore the implications of the Donroe Doctrine, describing a new, riskier style of U.S. intervention. Kupchan links rising geopolitical tensions to a populist backlash against globalism. With China grappling with economic challenges and the U.S. entangled in escalating conflicts, the panel warns of the destabilizing effects of artificial intelligence and a weakened international order. The conversation is a wake-up call about the interconnectedness of these risks.

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INSIGHT

U.S. 'Donro Doctrine' Shifts To Coercion

The Donro Doctrine is a prioritization of direct U.S. control and coercive influence across the Western Hemisphere.
Ian Bremmer warns this shifts U.S. power from economic tools to security tools and creates global chilling effects.

ANECDOTE

Maduro Capture Was Carefully Engineered

Ian Bremmer recounts the careful planning and intelligence buildup that enabled the operation to capture Nicolás Maduro.
He emphasizes the political payoff for Trump in bringing Maduro to New York and dominating media coverage.

INSIGHT

Power Trumps Alliances In A GZERO World

The U.S. remains militarily strong but its alliances and reliability have weakened significantly.
Ian Bremmer argues this creates a GZERO world where power, not shared norms, determines outcomes.

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With the global order under increasing strain, 2026 is shaping up to be a tipping point for geopolitics. From political upheaval in the United States to widening conflicts abroad, the risks facing governments, markets, and societies are converging faster—and more forcefully—than at any time in recent memory.

To break it all down, journalist Julia Chatterley moderated a wide-ranging conversation with Ian Bremmer, president of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media, and a panel of Eurasia Group experts, to examine the findings of their newly-released Top Risks of 2026 report.

One theme dominates the discussion: the United States itself. From an accelerating political revolution at home to a more aggressive projection of power abroad, Washington has become the single biggest driver of global risk. That shift is playing out vividly in the Western Hemisphere, where dramatic developments in Venezuela signal a renewed US willingness to shape political outcomes closer to home.

Along with Ian Bremmer, the Eurasia Group panel included Gerald Butts, Vice Chairman; Risa Grais-Targow, Director, Latin America; Cliff Kupchan, Chairman; and Mujtaba (Mij) Rahman, Managing Director, Europe. Their discussion also digs into the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, rising instability among US allies in Europe, intensifying US-China competition, and the growing geopolitical consequences of artificial intelligence—all against the backdrop of a world with fewer guardrails and weaker global leadership.

As Bremmer argues, these risks are not isolated. They are symptoms of a deeper transformation: a GZERO world, where power is unconstrained, alliances are fragile, and no single country can—or will—stabilize the international system.

Host: Julia Chatterley

Guests: Ian Bremmer, Risa Grais-Targow, Cliff Kupchan, Mujtaba (Mij) Rahman, Gerald Butts

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