The paper focuses, from a conceptual perspective, on current challenges for development, especially those related to managing uncertainty and crisis. We argue that we live in an age of strategic uncertainty and that strategic projection is lagging behind reality. Today's challenges are not bound to specific fields (e.g. geopolitics, energy, finance, climate change, public communication, and the digital revolution). All these challenges merge, fueling a crisis of the whole (ensemble), which can only be overcome through a new vision, through a grand strategic shift. The contemporary competition between states and regions will be a competition of visions, in terms of consistency, comprehensiveness, and realism.
The paper follows a qualitative approach to analyze the aforementioned issues, and to discuss relevant case studies (e.g. the mission of education in contexts of uncertainty, and the impact of the digital revolution). We use secondary data analysis of the most recent, state-of-the-art analyses, reports, and data available to identify main challenges and to inform on the implementation of a new strategic approach for development. The conclusions will discourage policy-makers and leaders from the risky, but common practice of setting priorities insufficiently focused on solving the crisis of the whole.
Key words: strategic development, overlapping crises, strategic uncertainty, vision.