“The Obama-to-Trump transition will be at least as momentous with Europe and Russia also as the backdrop. If the Kennedy years, after this false start, ultimately signaled a segue to what historians now regard as a less dangerous phase of the Cold War, Trump’s coming to power may catapult us to a wholly different kind of world order.  The risk factors now are more numerous than during the Kennedy years, given the myriad nature of the world’s problems: rising Europe risk exacerbated by a revanchist Russia, growing Chinese economic risk and regional challenges under a more assertive Beijing leadership, and the Mideast’s multiple conflicts giving rise to the export of refugees and violent extremism. Add to all this new storm clouds in Africa and even Latin America. A President-elect who prides himself on an unconventional and sometimes unpredictable style of leadership could help unstick problems but could also create new ones. Combine that with a heavy dose of allied uncertainty, and with dicey outcomes of upcoming French and German elections this year. With all that as background, this week’s Inflection Points focuses squarely on “The Top Risks of 2017,” produced with the help of guest author Mathew Burrows, the director of the Atlantic Council’s Strategic Foresight Initiative and a man who for almost 30 years assessed risks and trends for the US intelligence community…”

• See also Global Risks 2035: The Search for a New Normal