George Friedman Books In Order

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

George Friedman is a Hungarian-born United States geopolitical writer on international affairs. He is the founder of Geopolitical Futures. Friedman was born in Budapest, Hungary, 1949 to Holocaust survivor parents. His family fled Hungary to the United States to escape the communist regime, and Friedman describes his family story as a classic story of refugees starting a new life in America. Growing up in New York, he attended City College of New York, receiving his B.A., and later joined Cornell University, where he majored in political science and a Ph.D. in government.

After the fall of the Soviet Union, Friedman studied the potential for a U.S.-Japan conflict, and as a result, he co-authored a book titled: The Coming War with Japan in 1991 with his wife. Unfortunately, the war he had predicted never happened. In his book, The Next Decade, Friedman argues how the United States administration of 2010 would create regional power balance by creating competing relationships between the world’s different regions. Friedman’s prediction of the geopolitical events resulted in The New York Times magazine treating him like a Magic 8-Ball.

The 21st Century has seen unique trends emerge in the world which might not have been imaginable in the previous Century. The power structure has uniquely changed since the last Century, and different countries have experienced the protocol of having a powerful country, with some experiencing the true meaning of destruction at the hands of other powerful countries. The 20th Century is one of the worst centuries we’ve ever experienced, in which two significant world wars were fought. The cold war made the second half of the Century even deadlier as the USSR and the US were about to engage in a nuclear apocalypse. As the Century shifted from bipolar to unipolar, other significant issues, such as the war on terrorists and climate change, emerged. Additionally, many powerful countries have emerged ever since, and these nations will be significant determinants of the coming centuries.

Through his book, Friedman has conducted in-depth research on historical trends and draws on modern geopolitical and geostrategic forecasting to identify potential future global political trends. His analysis is based on a detailed study of history and geopolitics, despite some of his predictions appearing fanciful/unrealistic. The Next 100 Years: A Forecast for the 21st Century contributes to the current debate on the world’s future in the 21st Century, whether or not his predictions come true.
George Friedman begins his book by stating that the international system is inherently unstable and that global, regional power transitions are repeating. He explains that the balance of power is gradually shifting, eventually influencing international relations. He then pinpoints four key geopolitical zones as essential players in the 21st Century. They include Europe, the United States, China, and Russia. According to the author, these four regions have unique strengths and shortcomings, and the interplay between the regions will eventually determine the world’s political dynamics in the future.

The book is divided into three main sections, each focusing on different periods in the next 100 years of the 21st Century. During these years, Friedman outlines the following decade’s various features and power structure. The first section of the book examines the decade between 2010-2020. The second part focuses on the period between 2020-2050, and the third part focuses on the last part of the Century, from 2050 to 2100.

One of the critical advantages of The Next 100 Years is the author’s ability to amalgamate intricate geopolitical trends and compile them into clear and precise predictions of the future. His analysis of the determining regions of the world is highly insightful, providing a rich framework for understanding global politics. He focuses on the importance of political power transfer and the volatility of the international system. The book’s extensive scope is another of its strengths. Friedman thoroughly examines the key trends influencing the 21st Century rather than concentrating on a particular problem or area. This enables readers to have a more sophisticated knowledge of the intricate interactions between many aspects and to recognize the connections between apparently unrelated problems.

The Next 100 Years by George Friedman is a captivating and thought-provoking read which encourages readers to consider the future of our planet in depth. Friedman vividly depicts the global world that beckons us in the twenty-first Century through his analytical analysis and forecasts. Despite the fact that some of his forecasts may be debatable or unpleasant, they are always based on a thorough knowledge of history, human behavior, and the forces of nature that govern our planet. The Next 100 Years provides insightful information for anybody looking to learn more about the intricate and constantly evolving world we live in. In the end, this book serves as a reminder that the future is never guaranteed and that our decisions will significantly impact future generations.

In his 1991 co-authored with his wife, Meredith Lebard, George Freidman argues that the post-Cold War earth would see the United States and Japan become world opponents. While the book has somewhat been discredited over time, the analysis is in-depth and worth considering.
The main theme in the story is that the United States and Japan could become significant opponents at the end of the Cold War. The battle against communism needed Japan and the US to come to an understanding. Essentially, Japan was to manufacture goods allowing the United States privileges and some defensive capability by securing the air and ocean space surrounding Japan. In return, the US would allow Japan access to natural resources and provide it with military defense. With the Cold War now over, this treaty has become economically unviable for the US to continue; hence, a new treaty must be agreed upon.

George Friedman and his co-author illustrate how Japan must access the Middle East and Asia’s natural resources to remain a strong nation. They also reveal that Japan could acquire this resource through its new alliances and rebuilding its military force. While most of the conflicts highlighted haven’t occurred, some of the elements discussed in the story are in motion today.