The New York based risk consultancy, Eurasia Group, warns the world is facing a "big, unexpected crisis" in 2018.
"In the 20 years since we started Eurasia Group, the global environment has had its ups and downs," Eurasia President Ian Bremmer and Chairman Cliff Kupchan wrote in the outlook. "But if we had to pick one year for a big unexpected crisis -- the geopolitical equivalent of the 2008 financial meltdown -- it feels like 2018. Sorry."
Eurasia sees five ill winds driving the storm: China, miscalculation (Korea), protectionism, a technological cold war and, given Trump's obsession with it, Iran.
Sounds like this might not be the year to bet the farm on that one big risk.
6 comments:
There are so many positive actions that we could collectively take to ameliorate the storms. Unfortunately, most governments are backpedaling and most people are too seduced by phones and fantasy to be of any use. What this is likely to mean is each man or woman for him/her self. That's not healthy when we need to act collectively. It doesn't look good.
No, it doesn't look good, Toby. There's such a confluence of impacts coming at us from several directions but we won't even acknowledge the common threads that run through them all. Without that we're left swatting at a number of extremely large and dangerous flies.
Neoliberals see protectionism as the threat - not the 40-year exodus of jobs, GDP and wealth which has leveled the Western economy. These serial looters always think there are plenty more feathers to pluck when the bird is pretty much bald after 40 years of abuse.
They say bring on the TPP, free trade with China, hemispheric open borders! Why? Because it's good for the economy? Hahaha! Good one! No, it's because their retirement portfolios need a boost!
That's why I'm a proud Trump supporter. The "Left" stands for nothing but barking "racist!" and "fascist!" at their political enemies. Actual progressives always end up being shepherded by neoliberal wolves who offer gender pronouns, 'sanctuary' cities and Muslim refugees in place of economic progressive policies that would actually help people. (Their politicians represent the rich because they flagrantly take bribes.)
Real progressives have 50 years of abject failure under their belts because they always jump out of their skins whenever their neoliberal shepherds cry wolf - oblivious to the fact they are being led to the abattoir by wolves in shepherd's clothing. (They wait for a Messiah to bring in a revolution like Christians waiting on the Second Coming. My money is on Jesus! There's never been a political revolution that was anything more than a pack of lies.)
Anon, get back on your meds. Why not go for brevity and just say, "I'm a proud Trump supporter." Spare us the rest of your nonsense.
Blaming Mexican rapists and drug dealers (some of whom we assume are good people) for job losses is a good start. It's much better than going after the wealth creators who've supported their hiring halls, just as it fits the narrative much better to point the finger at assorted hacks and diplomats rather than the Chamber and the transnationals when agonizing over trade imbalances.
But I don't know whether Trump's regulatory and tax reform policies will free Americans entirely from the serial looters. What about the ones tugging proudly on his fly zipper at cabinet meetings? How do they feel about things? Will their pride earn them a pass? Is there any evidence yet of displeasure on the part of any of the other serial looters?
John, don't waste your time on this Anonymouse with his ridiculous narrative of fabrications. Trump is progressive. Of course he is. That's why he's surrounded himself with a cabinet of the hyper-wealthy who just gave themselves a multi-million dollar Christmas gift in the form of tax cuts that will be funded by borrowed money that morons like this character and his grandkids will have to repay. He's a fine example of the malfunctioning of the most severely faith based minds. And he demonstrates that he knows nothing of progressivism, nothing at all.
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