Frederic Lee, Agenda, February 9, 2026
The beginning of 2026 has seen unprecedented actions from the White House that redefine the United States’ geopolitical posture, most notably President Donald Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on European countries that don’t back the U.S.’s acquisition of Greenland.
Although the president eventually walked back his threats, the behavior itself represents a sea change in the U.S. geopolitical status quo. It also points to large economic impacts that corporate directors have to address in real time, sources tell Agenda.
The Greenland situation wasn’t the only flashpoint taking place in the early days of this year. Regime change in Venezuela and new breakthroughs in artificial intelligence products have upended some companies’ strategic plans.
Currently directors are living through “polycrisis,” given the confluence of technological, geopolitical and economic concerns facing the corporate world today, Davia Temin, president and CEO of management consultancy Temin and Company Inc., told Agenda.
“Everybody is concerned with the speed at which change is happening,” she said, adding that business leaders don’t want to be “left behind.”
Because everything is moving so fast in the world, it can be challenging to find specific expertise to help advise business leaders on a particular subject at a moment’s notice, said Temin. Boards should consider ramping up geopolitical briefings and walk through various scenarios as they game out strategic plans, sources said.
“Imagine if you were on the board of an oil company right now,” she said, referencing the Trump administration’s capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and subsequent takeover of the country, including certain oil revenues. […read more]