About this title: Friedman, a leading expert in geopolitical forecasting, turns his eye to the future. Drawing on a profound understanding of history and geopolitical patterns, "The Next 100 Years" is a compelling, realistic, and eye-opening portrait of the future.
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Binding: Hardback
Publisher: ALLISON & BUSBY Country = UNITED KINGDOM
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780749007621ISBN:0749007621
Description: BRAND NEW HARDBACK. 272 pages. Features forecast of the changes we can expect around the world during the twenty-first century. this book explains where and why future wars may erupt (and how they may be fought), which nations may gain and lose economic and political power, and how new technologies and cultural trends can alter the way we live in the new century. (Hardback) read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Doubleday Books
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780385517058ISBN:038551705X
Description: Fine in very good dust jacket. like a brand new book great condition, fast shipping with a delivery comfirmation number. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. 272 p. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: CD-ROM
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Date Published: 1/1/2009
ISBN-13:9781433215469ISBN:1433215462
Description: New. 1433215462 Requires MP3 compatible player. Brand new MP3-CD shipped directly from manufacturer in original packaging. Satisfaction guaranteed. Prompt shipping with excellent customer service. read more
"This book was an entertaining read and a lot of it seemed to make sense. What I didn't like was the cynical, amoral tone, the premise that, look, nation states will do what they do for self-interest and one is not necessarily better than the other. I vehemently disagree. The U.S. is not perfect and not always moral, but we have certain values that we stand for in our foreign policy and our national life in general, and it DOES matter who dominates the world. Ask yourself this: when the Russians were closing in from the east and the western allies were closing in from the west at the end of WW2, which direction did the Germans flee and why? I rest my case."
"I could not imagine enjoying a book about future geopolitics but could not put this book down. You can agree with the idea that the next 100 years are going to be US-centred or not. The author proclaims that we can compare North America to an adolescent and there is a long way for this country to grow and to come into the full power. The next 100 years are going to change the balance of power in every region of the world. There is a much unexpected idea in the book of China losing its momentum and Turkey and Poland to become world superpowers. Japan will become a power to reckon with again and Europe is past its glory. There are predictions of regional conflicts, the decline of population in many developed countries and the price the children of baby-boomers will pay for their longevity. I am sure there are a lot of different points of view for the future and all of them may have a grain of truth."
"George Friedman's book reads similarly to Ray Kurzweil's The Age of Spiritual Machines in that it lays out a groundwork for what's to come and relates decade by decade how it will unfold. His predictions range from expected (escalation of tensions with Russia) to surprising (the rise of Turkey and Poland as major powers) to science fiction (space-based sources of energy). Along the way, he draws historical links between his predictions and the past behavior of countries to show the cyclical nature with which they behave.
What I most enjoyed about this collection of would-be prophecies is Friedman's ability to step back from the daily news and focus on world affairs in 20-year cycles. What we interpret as the conflict in the Middle East, Friedman sees as the United States' long-term plan to destabilize the region in hopes of preventing a collective, anti-US Caliphate from arising. While history students will call the US' entry into World War II as a response to Pearl Harbor and a drive to make the world safe for democracy, Friedman sees an adolescent country wanting to protect its control of the seas. His fascinating turns are not only what drive his predictions, but also what make his book such a great read.
I was also surprised by his insistence on China not becoming the next great superpower. In fact, not only does he surmise that the United States hasn't even seen the apex of its tenure as the single global superpower, he claims that China is already past its prime. This is a perfect example of Friedman's ability to see past current trends. With this macro analysis, he predicts the rise of Poland, Turkey and Japan as contenders in the global arena, all of whom will threaten US interests, culminating in armed conflict by 2050. Following a successful war campaign by the United States is the rise of Mexico, not just within its borders, but as a dominating ethnic group in much of the southwest US.
Although it is impossible to truly predict the unpredictable (for example, September 11th), Friedman does a fantastic job at guessing how countries will work using their most basic goals and historical legacies as guides. I highly recommend it to historians and political strategists."
"Poor fiction. Worse as non-fiction. Some parts were interesting, but Tom Clancy would have done a far more convincing job and it would probably have taken him two books, one for the Japanese-Turkey-US war and another one for the Mexican war against US.
Climate change does not enter into his predictions until the epilogue. He simply dismisses it because he thinks we will get population under control.
I think he overplays cycles in history. In the end, I felt like I was left with a few interesting scenarios and facts, but I am very skeptical about his predictions. I was really surprised with the amount of detail, I expected more generalities with supporting facts or theories."
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