2026 seen as geopolitical tipping point with U.S. political upheaval as top risk

Time says 2026 is a tipping point year and identifies a U.S. political revolution — President Donald Trump’s attempt to systematically dismantle the checks on his power, capture the machinery of government, and weaponize it against his domestic enemies — as the principal source of global risk.

The report lists nine other risks, including China’s mastery of the "electric stack" and its emergence as an "electrostate" while the U.S. slides toward a petrostate; the revival of the "Donroe Doctrine" and a Venezuela outcome that it says includes Nicolás Maduro’s ouster and trial in the U.S.; fragile European governments facing populist pressure and potential U.S.

interference; Russia shifting to a hybrid front against NATO with more frequent confrontations; a deepening U.S. state capitalism that picks winners and losers; China’s worsening deflationary spiral; AI firms adopting extractive models that could erode thinking and social stability; a "zombie" USMCA that leaves North American trade uncertain; and a growing governance vacuum that makes water a weapon.

Key Topics

World, Donald Trump, China, Nicolás Maduro, Ai, Usmca