Friedman, George. The Next 100 Years: a Forecast for the 21st Century. New York: Doubleday, 2009.
If you have an interest in politics, international relations, or predictions of futuristic technology then this is the book for you. Using his knowledge of historical trends and political forecasting Friedman predicts how international relations will unfold over the next century. The author has a PhD in political science from Cornell University and he is the founder of STRATFOR a private intelligence firm.
Friedman claims that the current economic downturn will not last long and that soon the United States will be back on top and will be the dominant superpower for the next 100 years. This book predicts that Russia and China will collapse in the next 20 or 30 years from internal divisions and pressure from their neighbors. By 2050 Japan and Turkey will be the world’s new major powers. They will form an alliance to rival the United States which will lead to World War III. However, the US will triumph in that future war. By 2100 Mexico will be the new rising power that will challenge the USA. How does the author come to these conclusions? You’ll have to read the book to find out! (Click here to check for availability.)
Contributed by Joshua Wallace, Reference Librarian at the Pecan Campus
