The Next Decade

Where We've Been . . . and Where We're Going

By: George Friedman

Narrated by: Bruce Turk

Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

The author of the acclaimed New York Times best seller The Next 100 Years now focuses his geopolitical forecasting acumen on the next decade and the imminent events and challenges that will test America and the world, specifically addressing the skills that will be required by the decade’s leaders.

The next 10 years will be a time of massive transition. The wars in the Islamic world will be subsiding, and terrorism will become something we learn to live with. China will be encountering its crisis. We will be moving from a time when financial crises dominate the world to a time when labor shortages will begin to dominate. The new century will be taking shape in the next decade.

In The Next Decade, George Friedman offers listeners a pro­vocative and endlessly fascinating prognosis for the immedi­ate future. Using Machiavelli’s The Prince as a model, Friedman focuses on the world’s leaders - particularly the American president - and with his trusted geopolitical insight analyzes the complex chess game they will all have to play. The audiobook also asks how to be a good president in a decade of extraordinary challenge, and puts the world’s leaders under a microscope to explain how they will arrive at the decisions they will make - and the consequences these actions will have for us all.

©2011 George Friedman (P)2011 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“There is a temptation, when you are around George Friedman, to treat him like a Magic 8-Ball.″ ( New York Times Magazine)

Vital knowledge to all US Citizens

I have read and listened to a lot of Friedman's writings, lectures and interviews. The forecasts and principles in this book are explained clearly and simply enough for anyone of average capacity to understand.

This book is of particular importance to VOTERS TRYING TO CHOOSE CANDIDATES as it presents what we the people should identify in a candidate even when they are lying.

I strongly believe that if a higher percentage of the public would comprehend these principles, all nations would be better prepared to help politicians do the important work and it would greatly balance the current confusion in media that has brought us to this point.

I'm giving this book to my 2 daughters as required reading. So should you.

Excellent book, awful narration

This book is excellent. Unfortunately, I found it very hard to maintain my attention on what the narrator was saying. He sounds like one of those computer programs that read text. I listened to samples of other books narrated by Bruce Turk, and they all sounded the same, as if they were read by robots.

You'll end up smarter just by reading it.

Any additional comments?

I first read The Next One Hundred Years; I thought that the exercise of trying to look so much into the future was too speculative. The Next Decade is, in my opinion, a much better book and given that some of the predictions of the author are already happening, the Russian annexation of Crimea as an example, this book is becoming scarily accurate. More than a futurist book, the author really understands geopolitics and his premise of recognizing that the US is, for all intended purposes, an empire is dead on. He explains the appropriate strategies the US would be wise to follow and gives us a glimpse of what past administrations have done to manipulate other countries into rivalries and alliances with the objective of maintaining balance, the book is not about right and wrong but about what works for maintaining a strong position in the world.

An excellent Global listen

If you could sum up The Next Decade in three words, what would they be?

Enjoyable, informative, novel

What about Bruce Turk’s performance did you like?

Easy listening

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Its not necessary to listen it in one sitting, but I found myself wanting more

Any additional comments?

Worth the read, Friedman tries to assess the world relationships in the coming decade.

This should be required reading for all Americans.

I originally rented this from Cracker Barrel. I liked it so much I bought it here and listened to it 2 more times. There is a slight liberal lean to it, but that is palatable. I learned so much, I can not even describe. The mistake of Iraq is so painfully obvious when you listen to this book.

Everyone should read this!

This book is highly relevant to the challenges we face today! I highly recommend it!

Good points and ideas about the near future

What made the experience of listening to The Next Decade the most enjoyable?

Good explications about the present state of everything and thoughts about the future accordingly.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

He seems to have a good knowledge about politics and political structure in most of the world.

What does Bruce Turk bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Nothing special.

If you could give The Next Decade a new subtitle, what would it be?

What would it take to keep the world stable while constantly balancing on the edge of disaster.

Any additional comments?

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Friedman provides a great basis for thinking

Agree with it or not, America is an empire. We must know our role and how to establish the right balance of power. Steeped with Machiavellian references, this book shows trends that are actually playing out (since we're 6 years into The Next Decade ). This is a good place to start your thinking of geopolitics.

Simply insightful

Real and practical insight into the world politics.

And I am looking forward to reading his other book The Next 100 Years

US as an empire

Educational read on how the US approaches its Foreign Policy. I very much enjoyed the breakdown of key relationships.

Friedman seems quite tied to the idea of the US as an empire, which many will disagree with.

One downside of the book for me is that, the book drags a little with quite a bit of repetition.