2022 has already begun tumultuously. Russia has invaded Ukraine, a conflict that is the most significant threat to Europe’s security and stability since the Second World War.

Beyond this, other crises continue – the European Union is facing major internal tensions, with right-wing populism resurgent in spring elections in France and Hungary; and while the Omicron wave is subsiding, the COVID-19 pandemic is now entering its third deadly year. How will these issues develop and intersect over the next twelve months? What new issues are on the horizon?

There’s no better person to discuss the state of the world in 2022 than former Prime Minister of Sweden Carl Bildt. Over a career spanning five decades, he has served at the highest levels of government and helped to navigate major international challenges. As Prime Minister, he led Sweden’s accession to the European Union and helped to orchestrate the Dayton Peace Conference, which brought an end to the Bosnian War in 1995. As Minister of Foreign Affairs, he negotiated directly with Russia when the Ukraine crisis first began in 2014. He is now working at the heart of the pandemic response as the World Health Organization’s Special Envoy for the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator.

Prime Minister Bildt brings a breadth of experience to speak with great authority on where the world is headed this year. Listen to his perspective on the most important issues the world is facing.