The increasing complexity of the global landscape—marked by events like the war in Ukraine, the Israel-Hamas conflict and Washington’s deteriorating relationship with Beijing—has made the general counsel’s duty to assess risk, and advise the C-suite and board on it, vastly more difficult.

Legal chiefs and other observers say the vast number of moving parts can seem overwhelming. Countries representing almost half of the world’s GDP are electing leaders this year, with outcomes potentially vulnerable to social media disinformation campaigns, sometimes carried out at breathtaking speed with the help of AI.