Yet, such unity is rare. When some businesses take a moral stand and others chase opportunities at any cost, the net impact on peace and stability is blunted. Even issues once considered neutral terrain, like sustainability or diversity, have become political lightning rods, attacked as “woke capitalism”. In 2025, activists in the US flooded shareholder meetings with proposals to kill climate and diversity commitments, and the number of anti-ESG resolutions quadrupled compared to just a few years prior.  

Safe harbours of corporate social responsibility are shrinking. Business leaders are squeezed between rising authoritarian politics and increasingly sceptical publics. The message is clear: a passive, apolitical stance that might have worked in stable times now carries profound risks. 

From Risk to Responsibility 

At the heart of this turmoil lies a key insight: business can no longer afford to separate operational risk from political risk. The forces undermining democracy and peace also undermine the long-term viability of markets. Executives may enjoy a tax break today, but eroded institutions and social unrest will haunt their balance sheets tomorrow. Ensuring stable conditions for commerce demands that companies play a role in maintaining those conditions, not just exploiting them.  

This represents a shift from a traditional mindset where firms simply try not to make things worse to a peace-positive approach, where they actively contribute to societal stability. Here are a few ways forward: 

• Reframe Social Commitments as Risk Management: To disarm critics, leading companies are adjusting their language without abandoning their goals. They emphasize how community investments or carbon cuts protect the business from shocks. Investing in conflict prevention – whether through job creation in fragile communities or ethical supply chains – is  investing in a stable future market. By framing peace-building efforts as prudent business strategy, companies can pursue positive change under the banner of fiduciary duty. In an age of culture wars, calling an initiative “risk management” may simply be the price of doing responsible business. 

• Set Industry Norms: Courageous companies are beginning to band together to uphold ethical baselines as we saw firms do in leaving Russia after the Ukraine invasion. If enough big players commit to standards like zero tolerance for corruption or hate speech in their operations, they create a form of private regulation that mitigates harm even when public regulation is weak. Coalitions can tackle issues like election interference. Imagine tech companies jointly refusing to platform election deniers, or manufacturers collectively agreeing not to fund armed groups. By proactively setting the rules of engagement, businesses can fill governance gaps and stabilize operational environments. 

• Know When to Speak Out: Not every battle requires a press release, and quiet diplomacy has its place. But when fundamental democratic norms or human rights are at stake, silence is complicity. Leading by example means calling out extreme threats to stability before they metastasize to help galvanize broader societal consensus and signal stability to investors. As history shows, whether in Charlottesville in 2017 or Washington DC on January 6th 2021, denunciation of hate and violence from business leaders can help defend the civic conditions in which business thrives. 

Leading in an Age of Uncertainty 

How can today’s business leaders navigate this era of instability while safeguarding their companies? The first step is to recognize that political passivity itself is a risk. In a world of rampant misinformation and extremist anger, even firms that avoid politics can get caught in the crossfire. Corporate security and crisis planning must broaden to include threats once outside the typical business purview.  

Democracy and social cohesion have therefore become material issues. Forward-looking companies are investing in scenario planning: How would we respond if a violent protest erupts at our headquarters? If an elected government falls to a coup? If an online mob tries to cancel our company for a stance (or lack thereof)? Preparing for these scenarios is not political posturing, but prudent management. 

Another crucial strategy is communicating bravely. Many firms have started rebranding their values at work to fly under the radar of partisan critics. That can be effective up to a point. To wit, a bank might tout “enterprise resilience” (a new “hushed” code for strong ESG practices) to emphasize stability rather than ideology. But too much quiet can backfire. If companies shrink from any public discussion of societal issues, they may cede the narrative to bad actors and even lose trust with younger employees and consumers who expect values-driven leadership.  

The goal should be to continue the good work of sustainability, inclusion, and ethical governance regardless of political headwinds, and publicly say why this work matters, in terms that resonate with broad audiences. Rather than a marketing campaign about abstract ideals, point to concrete outcomes. For instance, a company could highlight how reducing inequality in its supply chain improved productivity and lowered security costs, making an implicit case that peace-building is value-building. This kind of storytelling ties purpose to profit in a narrative that can win over even the most hard-nosed investors. 

Leaders must also foster a culture of civil courage within their organizations. This means a willingness to stand up for the common good even at personal or professional risk. It could mean empowering employees to flag unethical practices or giving executives cover when they take a controversial stand for principle.  

Business schools have started asking how to instil this courage in future CEOs, because it is increasingly evident that ethical bravery is part of the job description. We have seen glimmers of it: Merck’s CEO Ken Frazier resigning from a White House council in protest of white supremacists in 2017, or dozens of CEOs pausing political donations after the January 6th attack on the US Capitol.  

These were short-lived – many donations quietly resumed later – but they hint at what is possible. If more leaders chose principled action over complacency, they could shift norms. Imagine the impact if today’s tech giants jointly refused to enable election disinformation, or if global fashion retailers collectively insisted on democratic labour rights in every country they operate. When enough businesses move, politicians notice, and societies change. The stability of the business environment itself is at stake, and with it the fate of open markets worldwide. 

In 2025, one lesson rings clear: Peace is everyone’s business now. The notion that companies can prosper insulated from political upheaval is dangerously outdated. Corporate courage – not just compliance – has become the key currency for sustainable success. Taking a stand can invite backlash or threaten short-term deals, but business collapses in a broken society. 

The flipside is the promise of bold engagement. When enlightened businesses choose to defend the norms and communities that underpin their profits, they not only protect those profits (see Costco’s success in the USA in 2025) – they help safeguard our shared future. The path forward calls for reimagining corporate purpose as inseparable from peacebuilding, and civic stability as integral to business success. Such a paradigm shift may feel like uncharted territory, but it is in fact a return to an old principle: healthy businesses need healthy societies.  

The question now is whether today’s CEOs will rise to the occasion. Will today’s business leaders be remembered for their leadership – or for their silence? 

Jason Miklian is a Research Professor at the Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo (Norway). His latest book CRISIS: A Global Case Primer, was released on 17 June 2025 (BridgeBuilders/Cambridge University Press).