HomeFrom the Desk of George Friedman

From the Desk of George Friedman

Recession and Depression

George Friedman - April 21, 2020

A recession is an essential part of the business cycle. Among other things it culls the weaker businesses and redistributes capital and labor for...

George Friedman’s Thoughts: Prisms of Thought

George Friedman - April 16, 2020

When I began the Thoughts column, I explained that I was using it as a space for thinking about a new book intended to...

The Beginning of Social Dysfunction

George Friedman - April 13, 2020

A few weeks ago, I laid out a model for thinking about the coronavirus crisis. I argued that there were four structures operating: medical,...

George Friedman’s Thoughts: Tuesday Night Poker

George Friedman - April 9, 2020

Earlier this week I wrote a book review about the breakdown of community and friendship in our time. In that review, I spoke of...

Supply Chains and a Novel Path to Conflict

George Friedman - April 7, 2020

Though “supply chain” became a household term only in the past generation, it has been around since humans have been engaging in commerce. One...

George Friedman’s Thoughts: Thinking About This Moment

George Friedman - April 2, 2020

My job is to write, and my goal in writing is to put things in perspective. The world has been to me an endlessly...

The Coronavirus Closes Borders

George Friedman - March 31, 2020

The border between the United States and Canada has been closed. I don’t recall that ever happening before; I’m not sure what it is...

The Calculated Risk of the Coronavirus

George Friedman - March 26, 2020

We live in a world filled with risks, some large and some small. When we step off the sidewalk to cross the street as...

Modeling the US Reaction to the Coronavirus

George Friedman - March 23, 2020

The United States is under enormous pressure. The nature of the particular pressure is unique, though pressure on the United States from various forces...

George Friedman’s Thoughts: Whatever Happened to Brexit?

George Friedman - March 19, 2020

The planet has reached an extraordinary moment of unity. The overriding focus is on the coronavirus and the radical restructuring of our lives and...

Quarantine and the Supply Chain

George Friedman - March 17, 2020

The global medical community appears to have devised a strategy for mitigating the coronavirus that depends largely on quarantine, or limiting contact among the...