Futures @ Risk Series: History teaches us how to manage risk

Op-Ed published November 20, 2025

In this first essay in the Futures @ Risk series, Dr. Laurence B. Mussio and Dr. Cosimo Pacciani argue in The Globe and Mail that effective risk management requires integrating historical consciousness with modern analytical tools. Exploring historical and modern examples, the authors show how overreliance on narrow, short-term models and “leader-centric” decision-making leaves systems vulnerable to rare but devastating shocks. They suggest that organizations that deliberately preserve, teach, and apply historical lessons—pairing computational power with long-term perspective—are best positioned to navigate instability and avoid failure in the face of catastrophe.

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