The Balsillie School of International Affairs is pleased to launch The Age of Unpredictability: 2026 Global Trends Report, an anthology of policy briefs prepared by students in the Masters of International Public Policy and Masters of Arts in Global Governance programs.
The Age of Unpredictably is the 10th Global Trends Report, marking a decade of BSIA’s contributions to the development and advancement of Canadian foreign policy. Its release comes on the heels of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in which he warned that the world has entered a period of “rupture” and that the era of the rules-based international order of the post-World War II era – which sought to bring predictability to world affairs – is being replaced by an order based on great power rivalry and a doctrine of spheres of influence. These are unprecedented times, and Canada needs a nimble and innovative foreign policy if it is to not only to survive, but also thrive in this new reality.
As with previous anthologies, The Age of Unpredictability covers a wide range of issues that are of salience to Canada. These include safeguarding Canada’s economic security and democratic institutions, data sovereignty, critical minerals, reimagining international assistance, food insecurity, debt relief for developing countries, Indigenous rights and refugee responsibility sharing in the Indo-Pacific, and a revitalization of international criminal justice.
BSIA is also pleased to announce that Daniel Manyoki and Andrew Olson have been awarded the “Best Policy Brief” prize for their brief “Modernizing Canada’s Trade Approach: Recommendations for Strategic Trade Policy,” which was supervised by Horatiu Rus and PhD candidate Ahmad Khan. All briefs included in this year’s Global Trends Report were judged by former officials at Global Affairs Canada who were not involved in mentoring any of the projects. Daniel, Andrew and Ahmad will each receive an award of $500.
A special thank you to all the mentors and PhD student co-mentors, without whom the Graduate Fellowship program would not be possible.
All previous Global Trends Reports are also available on our website.