On March 25-26, I had the opportunity to present my paper, “The Bridging Link Fallacy: Weak Ties, Structural Holes, and the Fragility of Networked Governance After USAID,” at the inaugural Social Capital 2026 Conference. Originally planned as an in-person global gathering with social capital enthusiasts in Dubai, the conference transitioned fully online due to the escalating situation in the Gulf and the war in Iran. In many ways, this shift reflected the very dynamics we study: fragility, disruption, and the resilience and adaptive capacity of networks. There was something especially meaningful about continuing these conversations across borders at a moment when the world is experiencing heightened uncertainty, disconnection, and strain…