The Next 100 Years

A Forecast for the 21st Century

By: George Friedman

Narrated by: William Hughes

Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

George Friedman, founder of Stratfor, has become a leading expert in geopolitical forecasting, sought after for his thoughtful assessments of current trends and near-future events.

In The Next 100 Years, Friedman turns his eye on the future. Drawing on a profound understanding of history and geopolitical patterns dating back to the Roman Empire, he shows that we are now, for the first time in half a millennium, experiencing the dawn of a new historical cycle.

©2009 George Friedman (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A unique combination of cold-eyed realism and boldly confident fortune-telling....Whether all of the visions in Friedman's crystal ball actually materialize, they certainly make for engrossing entertainment." ( Publishers Weekly)

Prescient

I read this book in 2022 and was stunned by how much of the world events that have happened since it was written are described here.

Fascinating and Objective

Unlike many "futurist" tomes, Friedman's objective analysis of wide ranging events processed within the framework of geopolitical thinking, shines through once again in this positively engrossing book. I would encourage the reader/listener to set aside any preconceived notions they might have, and listen carefully to Friedman's thought process.

As the author emphasizes many times, the leaders of any nation are faced with an extremely narrow range of options with which to secure their nation's vital interests. This drives their decision making in ways that are seldom captured effectively by the media or political spin doctors. Check your biases at the door and you will not only learn why international events transpire in the ways that they do, but how to assess and analyze how national transformations and conflicts will likely unfold in the future.

Friedman's writing style is excellent, and I found this particular audiobook to be particularly well narrated by Mr. Hughes. Highly recommended to anyone interested in current/future events.

Think Ahead

This month Bryan Alexander has a terrific article out " Apprehending the Future: Emerging Technologies, from Science Fiction to Campus Reality" in Educause Review Alexander writes about the various methods that we try to understand the future, where Friedman is about scenarios rather then methods. 100 years may seem too far to look ahead, the but the exercise of looking towards the future is one of the best ways we have to understand where we are today. I'd like to see the 100 year lens applied to education and technology. Friedman is all about looking at the next 100 years of geopolitics, of war, and somewhat of the economy.

I have some agreement with Friedman in terms of a coming labor shortage and the massive consequences of a rapidly aging society. I'm not sure if Poland will become the major power that Friedman predicts (but I do agree about Turkey). A fun book to get lost in, a good read for any of us who enjoy predicting the future in our own little worlds.

Good listen, though a bit indulgent

This book is a good listen. I think the point of the book is beyond the predictions it espouses but rather the logic and geopolitical history that underpins his assertions. That said, he was pushing his luck by the end of the book with his "predictions" especially considering how quantum leaps in technology and "basic science" impacts society and culture (an issue only grazed on by the author).

I found it thorough and a good listen especially on Eastern European issues. Outside of North Africa he failed to discuss the rest of the continent. I find that to be a big oversight in the book given the history and role Africa has played (albeit not always voluntarily!) in global politics. So are readers to presume that the entire African subcontinent will not have any significant role in geopolitics in the next 100 years? He should have at least dedicated one chapter to Africa and its inter-relationships with the assertions he is making. That oversight leaves some holes in his strategic logic that diminishes the value in my mind. That said, it was worth a critical listening too. I will get a print copy when I'm book shopping too.

Overall Excellent - BUT... American-centric

I thoroughly enjoyed this book however, I was intrigued at the blind spots that emerge when viewing the future from such a US perspective. Living in Australia, I guess I see Asia, America and Europe in a very different way. Some assumptions about the people are not consistent with my reality and my knowledge and experience of these regions. Having said this, I was very impressed with the sheer depth of knowledge of George Friedman

Well thought and realistic view of "what's next"

Great book that uses historical precedent to forecast coming events. Very interesting and while the outcomes seem barely plausible at this time, Friedman makes a strong case for how global politics will play out.

Wow! What A Great Book!

I agree with so much of what the author has written about in this fascinating book. He seems to hit the nail on the head in every instance with the exception of a wide spread terrorist attack that would possibly cripple our economy and break the will of the American people, and speaking of the economy, how do we sustain our military might without bankrupting ourselves? Anything can happen, so we just have to be diligent and on top of our game at all times.

Great book and a really good read!

Impressive thinking, but take it with a grain of salt.

Friedman expresses some very interesting ideas in this book and definitely has incredible ability to uncover (hidden) factors that will shape the world at large. He does choose to express what he thinks is most likely in the form of narrative: he kind of plays Nostradamus and attempts to predict the future. Also, at times he seems more interested in describing space warfare and battle stars of the future in detail, which can tilt the content of the book from the domain of perhaps probable and tilted towards the absurd. all in all, this is a valuable read as long as you see it as a bunch of trajectories and crossroads in which Friedman chooses to take certain terms and create only one version of the possible future.

Okay, So This Is What We All Have To Look Towards?

If we study history of the great civilizations that came before us, we can start seeing some parallels and commonalities between the ancients and where we are today as the greatest civilization of the last 100 years.

Friedman does a good job in helping us to get a glimpse of the next 100 years (decade by decade) as our country goes through rising inflation, gas/fuel shortages and prices hikes, population increases, immigration challenges, environmental issues and global climate changes. And those are just internal problems!!! Bleak? Yes and no. We have many technological advantages that our predecessors didn't have, but it’s up to us to identify and use them wisely.

Face it, in a world that is closing in on 10 billion people in our lifetimes, we’re going to all have to figure out how to get along and feed, house, employ, transport, educate and provide medical care on a global scale.

I liked this book a lot and will keep it as a reference for things to come in my lifetime and future generations to come.

The author got the first 10yrs wrong

Disappointing that the first 10 years after this book was written didn't play as the author predicted, makes you question the validity of the next 90 years. It is a interest book if you view it merely as fictional.