Durable Disorder: How Geopolitics and Technology Are Rewriting the Global Economy

The global economy is entering an era in which geopolitical rivalry, technological competition and security concerns increasingly shape trade, investment and growth. This session connects today’s major pressure points, from Ukraine and the Middle East to US-China competition, with the economic forces driving artificial intelligence, semiconductors, energy and critical minerals.

It will explore how governments use tariffs, export controls, sanctions, industrial policy and access to strategic resources as instruments of power. Participants will gain a practical framework for understanding how durable disorder is changing markets, business decisions and the skills economists will need in the decade ahead.

Short bio

Bjorn Beam is a geopolitical and technology expert, former CIA officer and White House briefer. He leads geopolitical and technology research and advisory work at Arcano Partners and teaches at IE Business School. His work examines how global power, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, energy and security are reshaping economies and business strategy. Bjorn holds an MBA from IE Business School and a master’s degree in terrorism and counterterrorism from King’s College London.