Futurecast: How Superpowers, Populations, and Globalization Will Change the Way You Live and Work

What will life be like in America, Europe, Japan or China in the year 2020? As everyone’s lives across the world are becoming increasingly interconnected by globalization and new technologies quicken the pace of everything, the answer to that question depends on the fate and paths of the world’s major nations. In Futurecast, Robert Shapiro, former U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce and Chairman/Co-founder of Sonecon, looks into the future to tell us what our world will be over the next dozen years. Though that time span seems brief, Shapiro foresees monumental changes caused by three historic new forces—globalization, the aging of societies, and the rise of America as a sole superpower—that will determine the paths of nations and the lives of countless millions. What jobs will there be for you and your children? What will happen to your health care? How safe will you be at home or abroad? Answers to these questions will depend, even more than today, on where you live. Even as China expands its military and its economy, America will be the world’s sole superpower for at least the next generation, continuing to lead efforts to preserve global security and stability. The U.S. and China will be the world’s two indispensable economies, dominating globalization. Globalization will continue to shift most heavy manufacturing and millions of high-end service jobs from advanced countries like the US to developing nations such as China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Romania, Turkey, and others. Europe’s major nations and Japan will face the prospect of economic decline and critical problems with their retirement pension systems, moving further towards the periphery of global power. Every major country—the U.S., Europe, Japan, China—will face critical problems with their health care systems, and the entire world will face a crisis over energy and climate change. If the wildcard of catastrophic terrorist attacks occurs, the period between now and 2020 will be as challenging as any in modern times. Taking these global developments into account is essential for future planning. Robert Shapiro’s Futurecast provides valuable insight to prepare for the years ahead.