Geopolitical Trends Businesses Need to Watch
The next 100 years will see political powers rise and fall, but the basic matrix remains the same. Russia and China will weaken, as Japan, Turkey and Poland fix their internal issues and rise. The United States will maintain its position as the primary global force.
The current trend of population decline in the developed world will spread globally, leading to cheaper land as demand decreases. For the first time in centuries, labor will be the expensive commodity as capital seeks to augment the shrinking workforce. Global GDP may fall, but per capita GDP will rise. Subsequently, the main technological breakthroughs must be in medicine, making people more productive as their lives extend toward 100 years.
The ability to produce highly educated workers from the lower levels of society will define the status of nations. Policies that support the efficient use of labor are the key. The surge of the educated and informed class will pose challenges to regimes. The regimes can suppress the challenge and weaken geopolitically; or, they can allow the regime to evolve and strengthen geopolitically. This is the key choice.
George Friedman is an internationally recognized geopolitical forecaster, international affairs strategist and best-selling author. As Founder and Chairman of Geopolitical Futures, a new online publication dedicated to forecasting the course of global events, Friedman combines his passion for writing and publishing for his readers world wide who follow international affairs.
Prior to founding Geopolitical Futures, Friedman guided the intellectual vision of Stratfor, the geopolitical intelligence publishing and consulting firm he founded in 1996.
Friedman is the author of numerous New York Times best-selling books. His book, Flashpoints: The Emerging Crisis in Europe (2015), predicts the borderlands where centuries old tensions are re-emerging and will spark new conflicts. The Next 100 Years: A Forecast for the 21st Century (2009), predicts the geopolitical changes shaping the 21st century and was published in over 20 languages. The prescience of Friedman’s geopolitical predictions keep this book alive as they continue to unfold in many countries. Friedman’s The Next Decade: Where We've Been and Where We're Going (2011), was also a best-seller. His other books on warfare and intelligence have included America's Secret War, The Future of War, and The Intelligence Edge. Keep an eye out for Dr. Friedman's most recent book, The Storm Before the Calm: America's Discord, the Coming Crisis of the 2020s, and the Triumph Beyond (2021), predicting the dramatic upheaval and reshaping of American government, foreign policy, economics, and culture.
A very popular keynote speaker on the future of international geopolitics, Friedman is in high demand at numerous conferences and industry-specific events. He has briefed for many major military and government organizations and is frequently invited to speak internationally.
Friedman appears regularly as an expert on international affairs and intelligence on major television and radio networks and is frequently quoted in leading American and international news publications.
Friedman received his bachelor’s degree from the City College of the City University of New York and holds a Ph.D. in government from Cornell University. He lives in Austin, Texas.
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