On the Publishing of the Book | Tom Standage

PART 1
● Leaders
A New World Rises | Johnny Minton Beddoes
An Optimistic Scenario for America | John Prideau
The Year China Falls into Arrogance | Patrick Fowles
The Price Russia Must Pay | Edward Carr
Let's Go After | Josh Delepp
Overcoming Adversity and Moving Forward | Henry Kerr
Boom, Bust, or Backlash? | Rachana Sanborg
Insights a World Navigating Through Storms Needs | Catherine Nixey

● International
Breaking the Ice | Anton La Guardia
It's Time to Say Goodbye to the Number 1.5 | Rachel Dobbs
Conflicts to Watch | Sondr Ulbund Solstad
Stop or Start Talks on the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty | Anton La Guardia
The Race to Rule the Universe | Shashank Joshi
What's Our Prediction for 2025? | Tom Standage

● Business
Barriers to Entry | Henry Triggs
Semiconductor Competition Heats Up | Shailesh Chitnis
Everything's a Mess | Don Weinland
Strategic Elements | Anjani Trivedi
What's Next? | Guy Scriven
Gasoline and Electricity | Simon Wright
When the Thunder Claps | Wendelin von Bredow
Free kick | Tom Wainwright
Shine Again | Avantika Chilkoti
Hot Water | Vijay Byteswaren

● Finance
Prepare for Market Discipline | Henry Kerr
You can break through the floor | Matthew Pavas
Free Trade Flickers, Unstoppable Flow | Alex Domasi
Stablecoins: Are They Really Stable? | Mike Bird
The Dollar Steeped in Jealousy | Serian Richmond Jones
The Elephant in the Room | Leo Mirani
(Invitation) Sailing through the fog | Fei Fei Li

● Science & Technology
Add a Bowl of Rice | Natasha Loder
The Weight Loss Craze Spreads Worldwide | Shailesh Cheatness
'Drug Injection' Sparks Controversy | Natasha Lauder
Heading back to the moon?｜Alok Ja
Your Shape | Alex Hearn
How to Avoid a Hangover | Alex Hearn
(Invitation) The vaccine outlook is uncertain | Heidi Larson

● Culture
Half-Empty Wine Glass | Alexandra Switch Bath
Amazing Collections | Rachel Lloyd
The gaming industry in hard mode | Tom Wainwright
New Episodes of the Podcast | Caitlin Talbot
Have you seen it all already? | Rachel Lloyd
Listen Up | Alex Selby-Boothroyd

PART 2
● United States
Fight Club | James Bennett
With friends like these | Anton La Guardia
Rebuilding the Democratic Party | Kennett Werner
Results of the experiment | Arch Hall
Over-policing | Eileen Brown
(Invitational) Will Trump Try to Overturn the 2026 Election Results? | Jack Goldsmith? Bob Bauer
Self-inflicted wounds | Kennet Werner
The Trustworthy Supreme Court | Stephen Magee
Own goal | John Passman
(Invitation) Lessons from the Gilded Age | Richard White

● Europe
Guns, Growth, and Vegetation | Chris Lockwood
Breaking Through the Firewall | Tom Nuttall
Beyond Ukraine | Arkady Ostrovsky
Hungarian Games | Stanley Pignal
It's Not All Bad | Christian Odendaal
Standing on the Edge | Sophie Feather
Invitation) Rules, Tools, and Values ​​| Kaya Kallas

● United Kingdom
Not the final word | John Pitt
The Rise of Extreme Forces | Matthew Holhouse
Regicides from all sides | Duncan Robinson
Avoiding Difficult Problems | Tom Sash
Game Over | Georgia Banjo

● Americas
Soccer and Free Trade | Sarah Burke
Will Argentina finally return to normal? | Kinley Salmon
Stay Strong, Middle Way | Ana Rankes
Have pity on this country | Hal Hodson
The Iron Fist Ruler | Sarah Burke
The World's Playlist | Sarah Burke
Invitational Seat) The Age of Mutable Structures | Mark Carney

Middle East & Africa
Stagnation and Change | Greg Karlstrom
What Happens to the Palestinians Now? | Nicholas Pelham
Israel: A Look Inside | Ansel Pepper
Time for Rebuilding | Gareth Brown
A Desperate Cry for Peace | Tom Gardner
Just going through the motions | Tom Gardner
The Power of Africa | John McDermott
Heading East!｜Ore Ogunbii

● Asia
China Says "You Can Trust Us!" | Aaron Connelly
A New Direction? | Vishnu Padmanabhan
Census | Leo Mirani
Bloodlines, No Territory | Surin Wong
Family Planning | Moeka Iida
Charge, Forward! | Lee Seon-woo
(Invitation) What AI means to India, and what India means to AI | Nandan Nilekani

● China
Opportunities for China on the Global Stage | David Rennie
Eco-friendliness, fertility, and high-tech? | Gabriel Crossley
The Persistent Economic Slowdown | Simon Cox
It's Not Just Love | Don Wainland
Hahaha! | Sarah Woo
A Different Rivalry | Corbin Duncan
Anaconda Strategy | Shashank Joshi

● Key global indicators for 2026
Country-by-Country Outlook for 2026 in Numbers
Industry Outlook by Numbers for 2026

Special Section - Mapping 2026

Obituary
Penny's End | Anne Law

Super prediction
Major World Events in 2026

The intensifying 'Trump risk', drifting geopolitics, and AI phobia.
10 Global Trends to Watch in 2026

War and Peace Coexist in the 'Trumpnado' Maelstrom

2026 begins with conflicting opinions on whether the world has entered a new Cold War led by the United States and China, or whether it will move towards a "sphere of influence" where the United States, Russia, and China share spheres of influence, and neither side can be certain.
The United States will hold midterm elections around November, but even if the Democrats take control of the House of Representatives, President Trump's oppressive tariff policies and executive orders are expected to continue.
Externally, Trump favors a transactional, instinct-driven approach to diplomacy over a grand geopolitical paradigm, which will likely erode the existing norm-based global order.
Instead, a "coalition of the willing" of Western countries supporting Ukraine in areas such as defense, trade and climate could forge a new agreement.


The Economist predicted that the fragile peace in the Gaza Strip could continue.
However, conflicts in Ukraine, Sudan, and Myanmar will continue, and Russia and China will seek to test America's resolve to defend its allies in Northern Europe, the South China Sea, and elsewhere.
The line between war and peace is increasingly blurred, and their coexistence now seems like a natural progression.
The two currents are also intensifying in the Arctic, space orbit, the ocean floor, and cyberspace.

America's Slowdown vs. China's Opportunity: Where Does It Lead?

As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary in 2026, the Republican and Democratic parties will likely chart their country's future in a way that will be difficult to find common ground.
Economists predict that the U.S. economy will weather the tariff shock better than expected, but a global growth slowdown is inevitable.
It also predicted that as developed countries continue to spend beyond their ability to pay, bond market crises and risks will increase.
In particular, it was predicted that the appointment of a successor to Jerome Powell, Chairman of the Federal Reserve (Fed), scheduled for May, would be a major turning point.
The politicization of the US central bank could cause turmoil in financial markets.


China, too, is struggling with deflation, slowing growth, and overindustry, but Trump's "America First" policy is likely to open up new opportunities for China.
In particular, China is positioning itself as a more reliable partner in the Global South and is signing trade agreements one after another.
TikTok is not shying away from tactical deals with Trump in areas such as semiconductors.
Having handled the Trump era relatively well in 2025, China's challenge in 2026 appears to be maintaining a transactional, rather than confrontational, relationship with the United States without falling into arrogance.
Because President Trump is likely to be more effective than China in dismantling the US-led world order.


What's the solution amidst the shaky free trade and financial crisis?

2025 was truly the toughest year for free trade.
Donald Trump's tariff policies have spurred competition among countries for new trade agreements, and efforts by countries to find alternative markets for U.S. demand have reshaped the course of trade diplomacy.
The trade outlook for 2026 will likely depend on how countries around the world respond to US tariffs and China's industrial exaggeration.


The world is currently diagnosed as being in financial turmoil.
By 2026, the debt-to-GDP ratio in advanced economies is projected to exceed 110%, and even countries with controlled inflation face increasingly scarce capital and higher interest rates.
The United States also expects inflation to rise due to President Trump's tariff policies.
Most economists expected another easing, but that too could take some time.
Coupled with the Fed's uncertainty, bond investors' anxiety could persist.


Concerns about AI and a Mixed Climate Outlook

The Economist also points out that excessive investment in artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure is masking the vulnerabilities of the US economy.
If AI actually impacts the economy as the stock market expects, investment will expand across all industries, which could have an impact on other countries, pushing up interest rates.
While the value of technology cannot be denied, as has historically been the case with railroads, electricity, and the internet, technological bubbles can have a significant impact on the overall economy, along with overheated financial markets. As AI advances, concerns about the decline in highly educated jobs are predicted to intensify.
Will AI truly be able to knock down the bottom rungs of the career ladder in 2026?

Meanwhile, the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels has been lost, but global carbon emissions appear likely to have already peaked.
2026 could be the last year the Earth maintains a 'carbon surplus'.
In the Global South, investment in green technologies is already soaring, and companies are exceeding their climate targets.
Geothermal energy will also be a notable new market in 2026.


From sports to politics, to the ethical debate over drugs…

They say sports should be an escape from politics, but 2026 may be an exception.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, is facing concerns about a possible fan exodus amid tense relations between the three countries.
With the world's attention focused on whether the World Cup can be held successfully, the Enhanced Games (Olympic Games where doping is permitted) held in Las Vegas will likely spark even more heated debate.
Because the games are being played in which the use of performance-enhancing drugs is openly permitted.


Moreover, the drug debate does not end here.
Cheaper and more effective GLP-1-based weight loss drugs will be available in pill form, significantly increasing accessibility, and the enticing prospect of anyone being able to participate in the "Ozempic Games" to fulfill their desire for an ideal body will also be huge.
2026 could be the year when not only Olympic athletes but people around the world must debate the ethics of drug use.

All the major global issues that could happen in 2026

What other unexpected surprises will unfold in 2026? The Economist cautiously predicts that 2026 could be the year with the highest number of war-related deaths in the 21st century, and also highlights seven conflicts to watch in 2026.
Additionally, we have placed 'Mapping 2026', a special section that provides a detailed look at and analysis of events that are likely to occur during the year, with notable events that can be seen at a glance on a map.
By anticipating and preparing for the changes of 2026, along with the Economist's sharp and bold insights, not only for the issues actually expected in each sector in 2026 but also for those with a high probability of occurring, I am confident we will be able to create a future prepared to keep pace with global trends.