New technologies, dwindling resources and explosive population growth in the next 18 years will alter the global balance of power and trigger radical economic and political changes at a speed unprecedented in modern history, says a new report by the U.S. intelligence community.
The 140-page report released today by the National Intelligence Council lays out dangers and opportunities for nations, economies, investors, political systems and leaders due to four megatrends that government intelligence analysts say are transforming the world.
Those major trends are the end of U.S. global dominance, the rising power of individuals against states, a rising middle class whose demands challenge governments, and a Gordian knot of water, food and energy shortages, according to the analysts.
We are at a critical juncture in human history, which could lead to widely contrasting futures, Council Chairman Christopher Kojm writes in the report.
Leading the list of the game-changers — factors the report says will shape the impact of the megatrends — is the crisis-prone global economy, which is vulnerable to international shocks and to disparities among national economies moving at significantly different speeds.
The future is malleable, according to Kojm. Our effort is to encourage decision-makers, whether in government or outside, to think and plan for the long term so that negative futures do not occur and positive ones have a better chance of unfolding.
Tectonic Shifts
