Russian Freedom of Speech?

China recently changed their one-child only policy.

Then the world of Men is over.

Let us fade into the West.

*sniff* Annie Lennox, sing us out.

Originally posted by Lord Lucien
In his book The Next 100 Years, George Friedman predicts that Poland will be the big player in Europe, along with Turkey. Britain and France never regain their old glory, Germany is too kowtowed from its history, and Russia tries, but fails to reinsert itself as a superpower (low birthrates and too many international competitors). China faces the long term repercussions from its one-child policy, and economic bubble-boom, and the West, desperate for immigrants from its own low rates, brain drains China and India of their skilled labor. Mexico and Brazil shine bright, and the U.S. enters it's "actual" golden age.

Canada stays frosty.

It also seems strange that he (based on the Wiki summary) completely ignores the EU as a factor in the geopolitical future of Europe.

I think he predicts the EU will dissolve. The power base will be in that "Polish bloc" he mentions.

Originally posted by Stealth Moose
Pussy Riots singer found

People disappearing, living in work camps with abusive conditions, not being able to protest, personal freedoms being taken...

Progressive, Russia is not. I guess I expected more from a country that decided communism was a failing enterprise.

You do know Russia and China CONTROL the globe through the U.S. Federal Reserve System, right...?

Not really Russia and China, but the promontory point of the Transcontinental Subterranean-VAC train Central Hub that, in fact, resides under Russian territory - using the FRS to suppress the world of the technology developed from their shadowy R&D programs.

That transit system was the last gasp of the Soviet Union - and the Soviet Union survives through it.

Originally posted by Dolos
You do know Russia and China CONTROL the globe through the U.S. Federal Reserve System, right...?

Can they speed up the rotation of the Earth during work hours?

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
Can they speed up the rotation of the Earth during work hours?

Originally posted by Lord Lucien
I think he predicts the EU will dissolve. The power base will be in that "Polish bloc" he mentions.

I would like to know his deeper thoughts on why the EU will dissolve. Some of what he is saying on some level makes sense, but other aspects just brings to mind Francis Fukuyama and his predictions and how wrong he turned out to be.

Originally posted by Utrigita
I would like to know his deeper thoughts on why the EU will dissolve. Some of what he is saying on some level makes sense, but other aspects just brings to mind Francis Fukuyama and his predictions and how wrong he turned out to be.

Originally posted by Lord Lucien
In his book The Next 100 Years, George Friedman predicts that Poland will be the big player in Europe, along with Turkey.

I'll give Friedman his due, but following Stratfor, I've seen him get a good number of geopolitical situations 100% wrong. EDIT: iirc, I don't think he got a single issue in the Arab spring correct, maybe with the exception of Egypt falling into military dictatorship.

though, I don't really disagree with his analysis of Europe... I might put the Czechs up there with Poland as well...

Originally posted by Lord Lucien
Canada stays frosty.

pfft, not if global warming has its say... in 100 years we will be farming bananas and oranges

I didn't think the Czech were that badass.

And we won't be farming the Cavendish, it'll be the Gros Michel. And not just because it sounds Frencher.

Originally posted by Lord Lucien
It's a good book I've been meaning to read again. The author is the founder of STRATFOR, so his opinion comes from an informed POV. Though he admits that the second half of the book is a much wilder speculation, with specific predictions about space battle stations and wars. It's a fun read.

While he granted have a deeper knowledge then the majority of us, his interpretations are nothing but that. Hence why I follow him on some level but certainly not on others. Poland growing in power, is from my point of view only a logical progression and I think we will see Germany shift it's focus from France to Poland. I also highly doubt that the EU will disintegrate, if that was to happen it imo would have. Etc. But again I see where he is coming from, I just don't see him on being right, and then again he completely ****ed up his middle east analysis, but then again many did.

If there's one area that's nigh-impossible to predict, it's the Middle-East. They be kray kray.

I doubt the EU itself will fall apart, but if the Eurozone collapses (I think he sees that happening too), I can certainly see it eventually falling in to irrelevance. Not so much a "disintegration", but a slow, steady crumbling process. Nothing lasts forever.

Originally posted by Lord Lucien
If there's one area that's nigh-impossible to predict, it's the Middle-East. They be kray kray.

I doubt the EU itself will fall apart, but if the Eurozone collapses (I think he sees that happening too), I can certainly see it eventually falling in to irrelevance. Not so much a "disintegration", but a slow, steady crumbling process. Nothing lasts forever.

Agreed, predicting the development in the middle-east is basically like rolling a dice with 100 sides.

Numerous have predicted the collaps of the Eurozone. And just as many have predicted that it will survive. Ultimately imo it rest on to what lengths Germany will go. The moment they say "enough" it's over. But I don't expect that to happen in a near future. I agree about the irrelevance, and I'll argue that its happening already and have been happening for a good amount of years.

Countries last forever (or very long) and in that perspective the EU has a good chance to survive, but its survival imo is founded on increased co-operation, not slagging around.

on topic: Russian Freedom of Speech. Такая вещь не существует

I don't care what Russia does. I don't live there. It's hard enough worrying about what happens in my own country.

Originally posted by jinXed by JaNx
I don't care what Russia does. I don't live there. It's hard enough worrying about what happens in my own country.

To say we don't have to care about Russia at all just because it's far away is myopic to say the least.

Any country that big, with that many nukes, that much inner turmoil, that many ethnic groups, and with a history as violent and tough, is a country worth worrying about.

Originally posted by Lord Lucien
I didn't think the Czech were that badass.

I hear you, in fact, I think I was thinking too limited of term, mostly because the Czech republic is a current battleground between Russia and the united states (missle defense, NATO, etc). I suppose there is little reason to think, 100 years from now, that will be relevant any longer.

And in all fairness, every pundit on the planet has got the Arab Spring wrong.