Building Geopolitical Muscle 2026

Images: Adobe Stock Disclaimer This document is published by the World Economic Forum as a contribution to a project, insight area or interaction. The findings, interpretations and conclusions expressed herein are a result of a collaborative process facilitated and endorsed by the World Economic Forum but whose results do not necessarily represent the views of the World Economic Forum, nor the entirety of its Members, Partners or other stakeholders. © 2026 World Economic Forum. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system.Contents Foreword 3 Executive summary 4 Introduction 5 1 The case for geopolitical muscle 8 1.1 From signals to strategy 8 1.2 From risk management to competitive advantage 8 1.3 Defining geopolitical muscle 9 2 From awareness to execution 11 2.1 Establishing the mandate 13 2.2 Activating the radar and sonar 15 2.3 Designing the operating model 17 2.4 Staffing the function 19 2.5 Embedding in decision-making 21 3 What next? 24 Conclusion 26 Contributors 27 Endnotes 28 Building Geopolitical Muscle: How Companies Turn Insights into Strategic Advantage 2