ISLAMABAD: The World Economic Forum (WEF) finds geo-economic confrontation as the top risk for 2026, followed by interstate conflict, extreme weather, societal polarisation, and misinformation and disinformation, its report said on Wednesday. The Global Risks Report 2026, a premier source of original global risks data for Switzerland-based WEF, warned that the multilateral system is under pressure. “Declining trust, diminishing transparency and respect for the rule of law, along with heightened protectionism, are threatening longstanding international relations, trade and investment and increasing the propensity for conflict,” it read. Geo-economic confrontation topped the near-term rankings, with 18 per cent of respondents viewing it as the risk most likely to trigger a global crisis in 2026. It was also ranked first for severity over the next two years, up eight positions from last year. State-based armed conflict followed in second position for 2026, dropping to fifth position in the two-year timeframe. Sh...