Fadi Bayoud, PhD, MBA A Personal Preface Fifty years ago, I was born in the town of Jdeidet Marjeyoun – in South Lebanon – at the tri-border point where Lebanon, Syria, and occupied Palestine converge. From the balcony of my family home, I can still see the triangular intersection of those lands, a region once traversed freely by native Christians, Muslims, and Jews. For centuries, my ancestors moved across this terrain for trade, kinship, and cultural exchange, long before it was fractured by colonial borders, settler militarism, and apocalyptic mythologies. This analysis is offered not as provocation, but as…
Author: Admin
by Kollo Lena Abstract This article presents a Causal Layered Analysis (CLA) of narratives about Palestine, from Palestinians, as a futures methodology for liberation. Conducted with Palestinian-British medical professionals in 2025, the analysis reveals how Zionist propaganda has systematically dehumanised Palestinians, while Palestinian sumud (steadfastness) and the metaphor of springtime represents an emerging regenerative narrative of resilience and renewal. The study demonstrates how CLA can serve as both analytical tool and emancipatory practice, helping marginalised communities reclaim their narratives and envision alternative futures. By identifying systemic causes, worldviews, and metaphors shaping Palestinian experiences, this research contributes to critical futures…
Steven Lichty The Confluence of Faith, Nation, and Global Power The contemporary political crisis in the United States, marked by intense polarisation and disputes over democratic legitimacy, is not merely a secular phenomenon but a conflict deeply rooted in religious-nationalist worldviews. An influential and systematised form of religious nationalism, American Christian Nationalism (ACN), poses a fundamental threat to the foundational tenets of American constitutional democracy, particularly the principle of universal religious freedom and the equality of civic standing for all citizens. This ideology fuses a specific, exclusionary strain of fundamentalist Christianity with nativist, patriarchal, and often white identity politics, driven…
Jose Ramos Introduction As the United States’ global influence declines relative to other nations, we are moving into a multipolar world order. Creating better lives for the world’s people, protecting ecosystems and the planetary commons will require new forms of effective and equitable multilateralism and a “dialog of civilizations,” where human cultures may complement and learn from each other. Rather than fear projection and petty squabbling, our new era provides the opportunity to engage in trans-civilizational learning and problem solving to address our great challenges. Galtung Was Right Johan Galtung purportedly forecasted the demise of the Soviet empire in…
John A. Sweeney, Jose Ramos, and Steven Lichty Abstract Three American-born futurists—now expatriates living in Australia, Kenya, and the UAE—gather to reflect on a synchronicity of loss: the recent deaths of their fathers and the simultaneous decline of the American hegemony they left behind. Through a reflective trialogue, this article explores the “geography of disorientation” inherent in both personal and geopolitical grief. Drawing on the framework of “triggers and tethers,” the authors examine how triggers collapse us into old selves while tethers pull us toward who we are becoming. Following Machado de Oliveira’s (2021) call to hospice modernity, they…
Diana Stafie and Luana Galoiu Introduction The complexity of modern societal challenges requires methodologies that can probe beyond surface-level analysis (Inayatullah, 1998). Causal Layered Analysis (CLA), developed by Sohail Inayatullah, offers a structured method to examine issues across multiple layers of understanding, from visible symptoms to deeper (cultural) narratives. CLA has been widely applied in both institutional foresight and participatory workshops (Ramos, 2006), which makes it particularly suitable for exploring collective narratives and systemic change. While CLA has proven effective in analyzing organizational issues and corporate strategic planning, its application to broader societal challenges presents unique opportunities. Future Station, a…
by Abdulwahed Jalal Nori The vision for Iraq’s future presented in this article is the result of a series of workshops conducted between 1-10/8/2023, organized for various institutions and political parties in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. These workshops were sponsored by the Al-Zahawi Centre for Intellectual Studies, which also invited me to serve as the facilitator for all sessions. The first workshop was held at the University of Sulaimani campus, under the title “Envisioning SU 2050 Scenario Building.” The other three workshops took place at the Titanic Hotel in Sulaimani and were organized respectively for the Islamic Kurdish Union,…
by Eva Oloumi Sohail Inayatullah On February 7th, 2025, at a full-day masterclass in Ottawa, a diverse group of foresight and policy practitioners gathered to explore the transformative potential of Causal Layered Analysis (CLA). Participants engaged in a series of exercises led by Sohail Inayatullah, ranging from theoretical deep dives into the CLA methodology to applied analyses of pressing issues in Canadian society. The topics discussed included the stagnation of the Canadian economy, the housing crisis, the degradation of Canadian values, and the provocative scenario of Canada as the 51st state. Complementing these discussions, a role-playing simulation known as the…
By Abril Chimal & Lena Tünkers In 2024, the 34th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent was held to address pressing global humanitarian challenges. As part of this important event, we were honored to be among the four winners of the IFRC Solferino Academy Speculative Competition. Our participation in this competition gave us the opportunity to imagine the products and services humans might create to survive and thrive in a world increasingly impacted by digital risks and autonomous weapons. Through a speculative futures exercise, we unfolded four scenarios of possible futures for humanitarian aid, revealing key issues…
by Sohail Inayatullah, Eva Oloumi and Shadi Rouhshahbaz As bombs rained down on Iran from Israel and the USA (and Iranian missiles onto Israel and American bases in Qatar) in late June, with an overall intent not just to arrest Iran’s nuclear energy (possibly weapons program) but to create regime change (Guzman, C., 2025) – to “Make Iran Great Again” (Graham, 2025) – we asked: what are the possible futures of Iran? While conventional analysis focuses on political transitions and geopolitical realignments, we argue that understanding Iran’s potential futures requires examining the cultural and mythic structures that have shaped…