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The world seems to have been in a state of permanent upheaval since 2019, from Covid, to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the rise of populist far-right sentiment and President Donald Trump’s tariff rollercoaster. In these unsettling times, you might be forgiven for wondering if, perhaps, permacrisis has become the new normal. If so, how does the channel survive and flourish in an age where uncertainty is the new normal? How can channel businesses react and plan when wars and economic alarms have become constant factors at the macro level? And how do they cope with the uncertainty created by Trump’s on-again, off-again tariffs and the impact on their supply chains? Joe Turner, global director of research and business development at Context, says that while this seems a time of major upheaval, adding a historical perspective can help. “You could say that big challenges and uncertain times have always been part of history. Things often feel especially difficult simply because they’re happening now. Once problems are solved, we tend ...