Prof. Manuel Trajtenberg, Executive Director of INSS, analyzes the issues that headed the Institute’s agenda this past year and the challenges for the coming year. Wherein lie new opportunities for Israel, and what troubling signals have emerged along with signs of hope? How does INSS address the challenges confronting Israel’s new government, and what does it seek to accomplish in its research? What is the importance of “soft power” in this regard, and what lessons were learned during Operation Guardian of the Walls? What does the ongoing pandemic teach us about living alongside COVID-19 and other disruptions to routine life, such as those related to climate change?