Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 11-15 of 160
 I would recommend this book March 3, 2010
Anthony J. Warren (USA)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I would recommend this book to any one interested in geopolitical trends of the future. It really changed my perspective of of history and the impact of past cycles on future events. Excellent read to understand what we are experiencing today and how events may or may not impact long term.
 Good insight about impact of demographic changes February 28, 2010
Phoebus Franca (San Francisco Bay Area, CA USA)
Much of this book is awfully speculative, on one hand, and obvious or shallow on the other. And, it doesn't really live up to the billing of "the next 100 years": more accurate might be "the next 20 years." He does do a good job of reminding readers of how much things can change in just 20 years, e.g., from 1920 to 1940. Also, the book suffers from having been put to bed right as the financial crisis of 2007 and continuing began to unfold, which meant that he couldn't really comment much on its significance. This makes the thinking seem rather dated at times.
Still, all that said, his writing in chapter 3, "Population, Computers and Culture Wars" is very clear and insighful. He really nails it in terms of the (probably) irreversible changes to our culture brought about by the extension of life expectancy, the fewer children and changing aspirations and roles of women in Western-style countries and the economic impact this will have on all the models currently used for govt policies, etc. The current healthcare debate is a perfect theatre for how these changes are beginning to impact the options and decisions available. Gone may be the days of the big, FDR-style entitlement unless society is willing to change radically to support it. The Democratic/Obama approach is both behind (can't afford it anymore) and ahead (to afford it, a future of far greater government role, and control) of its times simultaneously.
So, it's basically a quick read but worth some thought and time to consider the demographic changes he articulates very well in that chapter and elsewhere in the book.
Regarding international relations, his view of the rising role of Turkey as the leading Muslim nation could also be on the money. Makes a lot of sense when he compares it to the other options: Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, none of which seem to have much leadership potential. He does not mention Iraq - perhaps a bias against the US policy there. The author has kind of a menacing view of the United States. Iraq will likely be inwardly focused for some years, however, and its main outward focus will be regarding its relations with Iran (and the US, of course). But Turkey - unless it, too, falls into internal chaos due to the battle between the military and the Islamists - does have the potential to regain its leadership role. Perhaps there's a reason why it was the seat of the Ottoman Empire.
 A pretentious joke February 27, 2010
MamboCha. (Cherry Hill, N.J. US)
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
In simple words, this book is a joke. Among the many unpalatable predictions, according to the author, China will divide in ten years, Mexico will be a major military/economic power in about 70 years to the point of attacking USA to take its developed land(give me a break), and Japan in alliance with Turkey will declare a "space war", check this, precisely on Thanksgiving day 2050. Let me just pick the Mexico allegation to further elaborate, and thus, demonstrate even more the absurdity and unsubstantial predictions of the author.
According to him, Mexico will rise as a military/economic power because of three key factors, it has petroleum, it is close to the biggest market in the world - USA, and it has many of its citizens working in USA and sending money to family back in Mexico. Now, I say, is that it? Is the author truly pretending that these simple stupidities will turn Mexico, a nation whose nominal GDP is about 1/14th of that of USA with a population of 110 million, into a super power or convince the reader of such? Under this moronic argument neighboring Haiti would not be the poorest nation in America, oil rich Venezuela would have been a power years ago (it's not even in the top 30 economies), and Australia in the middle of nowhere would not have an economy slightly bigger than that of Mexico with only one fifth of Mexico's population. If anything, this shows that his reasoning is hallow.
We see that location is insignificant as Haiti is a highly corrupt and inept society incapable of doing anything that takes more than a couple of people or a coupe of days despite location, that oil wealth doesn't guarantee significant national development when governments rob it or misuse it as is the case of Venezuela, and that Australia is five times more efficient than Mexico and per-capita five times richer. The fact is that Mexico has been in that very position for generations, this is not new for Mexico nor a changing factor of any kind. Indeed, Mexico is not a decrepit nation and it is doing better than in previous decades, but the problem is that the author ignores the internal social and political challenges that plague Mexico, his mentioned factors are irrelevant for the backing of his speculations. The fact that Latin American nations like Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile have always been richer and more developed per-capita than Mexico despite being farther away from USA, having smaller populations (with the exception of Brazil), and having less of its citizens working in USA shows that Mexico lacks the needed level of productivity to not only provide better for its sizable population but much less be an economic power capable of challenging USA. As for the rest, the rest of the claims are equally vague, unsubstantial, and plain absurd (if not more). At the end this book's vision of the future is as trustworthy and profound as a magic 8 ball and as real as a 1950's futuristic film depicting the year 2000. There is simply no profound analysis of anything here, a total stupidity. Get any good political or historical book instead.
THROW OUT WHAT YOU THOUGHT YOU KNEW! February 18, 2010
Judywhanauer
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
GREAT INFORMATION HEREIN FROM A REAL EXPERT. FASCINATING TIDBITS AND WELL RESEARCHED RE WHAT IS IN STORE FOR THE WORLD AT LARGE IN THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS. I LEARNED SO MUCH!!!!
 High School level prophesy February 13, 2010
Miklos C. Kiss
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I read this book and enjoyed the wild prophesy of Mr Friedman, however, his forecasts are based on fantasy and seem to be stilted by outdated ideology. Anyone with imagination and a cursory knowledge of history could have written this book. It is not deep. Friedman's penchant to sunny Reaganism, lo/no tax and wildly freemarkets make for fantasy revisionism and reading.
Showing reviews 11-15 of 160
|
