#SNOW LEOPARD CAMOUFLAGE DRIVER#

And although both the snow leopard and the black swan arrive on the scene with great impact, the snow leopard’s arrival is preceded by plenty of information- if we look hard enough-suggesting that it might be just around the corner. In contrast to the black swan, the snow leopard does not have to be a single discrete event at all. First, it is unlike the “ black swan,” which is an extreme event with no historical precedent. The snow leopard is distinct from two other concepts in global foresight. Yet just like the real cat in the wild, the figurative snow leopard is something that could sneak up and vividly remind us that it exists.

#SNOW LEOPARD CAMOUFLAGE DRIVER#

Because it receives little attention in the press, the snow leopard does not appear significant enough to warrant much scrutiny as a driver of change and shaper of the future. In the world of global foresight, which is my area of focus at the Atlantic Council, I think of a “snow leopard” as a known but underappreciated-perhaps even forgotten-phenomenon. Since it is most often out of sight and therefore out of mind, the snow leopard is the kind of animal that might be forgotten-until it suddenly appears as if out of nowhere. The solitary existence, elusive disposition, and near-perfect camouflage of these beautiful cats make them a rare sighting even for locals and wildlife biologists who are trained to find them. Nicknamed the “ ghost of the mountains,” the legendary snow leopard lives at high altitudes in Central Asia.

Snow leopard camouflage