“Politicians are enormously smart and rational. They don't have the same interests as businessmen ... But a man rises to the top of the United States. He's clawed his way out of 330 million people. OK. He didn't do that because he was dumb, or lucky, or something like that. He understands power. And he understands how to take it. And he understands how to keep it.” PeopleMenWayStatesInterestUnitedMillionsUnited StatesPoliticianLuckySmartRationalDumbBusinessman Author:George Friedman
“With the decline of American interests in the outcome of this region, there is no glue holding it together. And the countries in this region are invented ... The last guarantor of the region's borders was the United States, and the US has basically said "the hell with it." What you're really having is the collapse of nation-states because they're not nations. They're only states.” SaidCountryStatesTogetherLastsNationsInterestUnitedUnited StatesHellBordersOutcomesRegionsDeclineCollapseGlue Author:George Friedman
“What is the great fear of the United States? That an Eastern power will build a navy to challenge us. How do you keep them from doing that? Keep them at each other's throats so they don't have any money to do this. This is why we fought the First World War, the Second World War, and the Cold War.” WorldFirstsWarStatesChallengesUnitedUnited StatesColdWar Of The WorldsThroatCold WarEasternNavySecond World WarFirst World War Author:George Friedman
“Well what are our geopolitical objectives? First, that North America be peaceful, prosperous, dominated by the United States. Second, that no nation be able to approach the United States militarily ... Those are the goals. It's very simple. We achieve that by making certain that all conflict takes place in the Eastern Hemisphere so we don't have conflict here.” FirstsWellsStatesAbleAmericaCertainNationsGoalSimpleUnitedUnited StatesAchieveConflictApproachObjectivesPeacefulEasternProsperousNorth AmericaHemisphereGeopolitical Author:George Friedman
“Success looks like you sitting here pretty confident that an armed brigade isn't going to come pouring in here and blow your head off. Which I don't think is your major concern. Therefore, the United States' foreign policy is successful.” ThinkingLooksStatesUnitedUnited StatesSuccessfulPolicyLike YouMajorsSittingConcernBlowForeign PolicyPouring Author:George Friedman
“The United State has a net worth against which our debt is a joke ... we wrote in 2008 the United States is going to come out of this recession fast. The Europeans are going to fragment. The Chinese are going to be cremated. Why could we come out of it? Why has all economic theory been proven wrong? Because we're rich and we could afford it.” StatesUnitedUnited StatesRichEconomicTheoryJokesDebtChineseProvenFragmentsRecessionsNet WorthEconomic TheoryProven Wrong Author:George Friedman
“Because the US has control of the sea. Because the US has built up its wealth. Because the US is the only country in the world really not to have a war fought on its territory since the time of the Civil War ... Therefore we can afford mistakes that would kill other countries. And therefore we can take risks that they can't ... the core answer to why the United States is like this is we didn't fight World War I and World War II and the Cold War here.” WorldWarCountryStatesFightingWealthAnswersUnitedMistakeUnited StatesRiskSeaColdBuiltCoreWar Of The WorldsCivil WarTerritoryWorld War IiWorld War IOther CountriesCold War Author:George Friedman
“Well the most likely emerging countries are Japan, Turkey, and Poland. So I would say Eastern Europe, the Middle East and a maritime war by Japan with the United States enjoying its own pleasures.” WellsWarCountryStatesEnjoyPleasureUnitedUnited StatesMiddleEuropeEastJapanMiddle EastEasternTurkeysEmergingPolandEastern EuropeMaritime Author:George Friedman
“The importance of the question and the availability of an answer are two different things. I'm not willing to state that because the question is fundamental, therefore I possess the answer. And I'm certainly not willing to say that since I don't possess the answer, I'll pretend that I do.” TwoDifferentStatesAnswersWillingImportanceFundamentalsDifferent ThingsAvailabilityTwo Different Things Author:George Friedman
“It has always struck me as the world's great fortune that the two great superpowers were the United States and the Soviet Union, who managed the Cold War with meticulous care in retrospect. Imagine the European diplomats of 1914 or 1938 armed with nuclear weapons. It is easy to believe they would not have been as cautious.” WorldBelieveHas BeensTwoWarStatesCareEasyUnitedUnited StatesImagineColdWeaponsUnionsFortuneNuclearSovietNuclear WeaponsCold WarSoviet UnionCautiousSuperpowerRetrospectDiplomatsMeticulous Author:George Friedman
