Leonel Fernández warns of unprecedented geopolitical fragmentation

The Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) and Funglode opened the VIII Global Forum on Latin America and the Caribbean at Columbia University in New York. The forum, themed ‘Latin America and the Caribbean in a Transforming World,’ brought together academics, economists, and international relations specialists to analyze current global shifts.

During the opening, Leonel Fernández, president of Funglode and former president of the Dominican Republic, warned that the world is experiencing a period of geopolitical fragmentation and political polarization unprecedented since the end of the Cold War. He stated that understanding this new reality of global power is ‘a strategic necessity for any nation that aspires to safeguard its own development.’

Fernández noted that international conflicts, including those in the Middle East, Russia, and Ukraine, are no longer isolated phenomena but impact energy markets, trade routes, food prices, and investor confidence. The forum's agenda also covers global economic deceleration, fiscal pressures, trade protectionism, and the implications of artificial intelligence and technology.