How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love Global Warming

This about Futurism, tagged , , , was written by for on June 23, 2012 .8 Comments

I am an idiosyncratic person. I support HBD, but oppose white (or any other) imperialism. My attitudes towards mainstream liberalism and conservatism is to wish a plague on both their houses. I think we’re in for a world of hurt with Limits to Growth but also buy into “cornucopian” ideas like technological singularity and transhumanism. […]

Russia Demographic Update VII

This about Futurism, tagged , , , was written by for on October 24, 2011 .63 Comments

It is now increasingly evident that Russia’s population has settled on a small but decidedly firm upwards growth trend. I have been vindicated. According to the latest data, in the first eight months of the year births fell by 1.4% (12.5/1000 to 12.3/1000) and deaths fell by 6.2% (from 14.6/1000 to 13.7/1000) relative to the […]

3000 AD: The Rise Of Polar Civilizations

This about Futurism, tagged , , , was written by for on October 16, 2011 .27 Comments

The river of time flows on, and empires crumble, leaving behind only legend that becomes myth, while new polities arise to take their place. This process of decay and creation is going to receive a boost from “peak energy” and, above all, climate change – which will redraw the maps of power to an extent […]

Future Superpowers – The World To 2100

This about Futurism, tagged , , was written by for on June 27, 2011 .140 Comments

Most projections of future trends in national power fail to appreciate the importance of three crucial factors: (1) the declining EROEI of energy resources (including, but not limited to, “peak oil”); (2) the importance of human capital to economic growth, especially in developing countries’ attempts to “catch up” to the advanced world; and (3) the impacts of […]

Decade Forecast: The Downsizing Of Pax Americana

This about Futurism, tagged , , , , , , , was written by for on May 14, 2011 .14 Comments

This is the first post in a series of three, in which I will analyze the major trends that will define the next ten years and their likely impacts on global regions. To put these forecasts into context, I must first describe the narrative through which I view the history of the post-WW2 era (the […]

The Radical Ideologies Of The 21st Century

This about Futurism, tagged , , was written by for on April 24, 2011 .15 Comments

Though I’ve written a lot on technological, energy, and geopolitical futures, this has largely been to the neglect of ideology. Part of the reason is that making accurate predictions on this topic is far harder, because of the inherent intangibility of belief systems. Nonetheless, it is necessary, because of their overwhelming influence on the historical […]

New Project: Arctic Progress

This about Futurism, tagged , was written by for on September 4, 2010 .8 Comments

The Arctic is one of the most ignored regions in commentary about global trends. This is unsurprising. The vastnesses of Hyperborea, a semi-mythical world of curdled seas, boreal lights and eternal sunshine, have always been “outside” history. But the fast pace of global warming in recent years is kick-starting Arctic history, bringing with it the promise and peril […]

The Century without an Indian Summer

This about Futurism, tagged , , , , , was written by for on July 8, 2010 .36 Comments

How will the global South fare in our likely future of energy shortages, climate change and resource nationalism (and wars)? India has China’s population mass, but lacks its industrial dynamism and human capital. Africa has Russia’s energy and mineral wealth, but not the military power or social coherence to defend it. South America’s prospects appear brighter […]

Simmered to the Edge of the World

This about Futurism, tagged , , , was written by for on May 31, 2010 .14 Comments

When denier ideologues make the transition to accepting the reality of anthropogenic global warming, one of the arguments they start to use tends to go something along the following lines: “Sure, the polar bears might get screwed over, but otherwise things will be just great. Crop yields will increase and northerners will get to have […]

Emerging Technologies: Limits to Growth vs. Moore’s Law

This about Futurism, tagged , , was written by for on May 31, 2010 .2 Comments

Like my post on Resource Depletion and Peak Oil, this is intended as a reference article for another key future trend. One important observation I will make at the beginning is that the approach of Limits To Growth (already imminent in the developed world) will not lead to a cessation in technological growth. In fact, […]

Augmented Reality Warfare

This about Futurism, tagged , was written by for on May 21, 2010 .6 Comments

In this installment of my series on future war, I’ll be taking a holistic view of ground combat. Unlike the case for naval warfare, which is going to be revolutionized by new weapons platforms – railguns, battle lasers, and submersible arsenal ships – developments on the ground are slated to be more low-key, albeit no less […]

Revolution in Naval Warfare

This about Futurism, tagged , , , was written by for on May 9, 2010 .17 Comments

A few days ago, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates fired a warning shot across the bow of the US Navy, questioning its “need” to maintain 11 carrier strike groups. He justified this on the basis of 1) “the massive over-match the U.S. already enjoys”, 2) “the growing anti-ship capabilities of adversaries”, and 3) the huge costs […]