Fox News reports: National Intelligence Council predictions and concerns in near future
"The world of the near future will be subject to an increased likelihood of conflict over resources, including food and water, and will be haunted by the persistence of rogue states and terrorist groups with greater access to nuclear weapons," said the report by the National Intelligence Council.
The analysts said that the report had been prepared in time for Barack Obama's entry into the Oval office on January 20, where he will be faced with some of the greatest challenges of any newly-elected president.
"The likelihood that nuclear weapons will be used will increase with expanded access to technology and a widening range of options for limited strikes," the 121-page assessment said.
Click here to read the report in full
The analysts draw attention to an already escalating nuclear arms race in the Middle East and anticipate that a growing number of rogue states will be prepared to share their destructive technology with terror groups.
"Over the next 15-20 years reactions to the decisions Iran makes about its nuclear program could cause a number of regional states to intensify these efforts and consider actively pursuing nuclear weapons," the report Global Trends 2025 said. "This will add a new and more dangerous dimension to what is likely to be increasing competition for influence within the region," it said.
The spread of nuclear capabilities will raise questions about the ability of weak states to safeguard them, it added. "If the number of nuclear-capable states increases, so will the number of countries potentially willing to provide nuclear assistance to other countries or to terrorists."
The report, a year in the making, said that global warming will aggravate the scarcity of water, food and energy resources. Citing a British study, it said that climate change could force up to 200 million people to migrate to more temperate zones. "Widening gaps in birth rates and wealth-to-poverty ratios, and the impact of climate change, could further exacerbate tensions," it said.
The report says the warming earth will extend Russia and Canada's growing season and ease their access to northern oil fields, strengthening their economies. But Russia's potential emergence as a world power may be clouded by lagging investment in its energy sector, persistent crime and government corruption, the report says.
"The international system will be almost unrecognizable by 2025, owing to the rise of emerging powers, a globalizing economy, a transfer of wealth from West to East, and the growing influence of non-state actors. Although the United States is likely to remain the single most powerful actor, the United States' relative strength -- even in the military realm -- will decline and US leverage will become more strained."
Global power will be multipolar with the rise of India and China, and the Korean peninsula will be unified in some form. Turning to the current financial situation, the analysts say that the financial crisis on Wall Street is the beginning of a global economic rebalancing.
The U.S. dollar's role as the major world currency will weaken to the point where it becomes a "first among equals." [...]
I would suggest that before anyone panic, two things be done:
ReplyDeleteRemember, this is the US Intelligence community. Their record for reliable intelligence over the last 50 years is somewhat... spotty, shall we say?
Go and dig up their report from 25 years ago and publish that. I think you'll find the same doom and gloom predicted for 2005.
The Club of Rome once tried to predict that by 1999 all the major elements and natural resources would run out, causing society to collapse. They were 100% wrong and now rely on srong revisionism to keep their legacy alive.
The reference to the increased likelihood of international conflict over resources should remind us that it was once - certainly before and during World War 2 - widely taken for granted that there were major economic causes of war, and that economic policies and international economic institutions were important to prevent this and to increase the chances of peace. The economist Keynes, who is being revived today, certainly believed this. It may be in part because of the success of Keynes' project of post-war prosperity and therefore peace that we have largely lost sight of this - until now. Anyone wanting to think about the economic causes of war and (international and domestic) economic policies for encouraging peace might like to start by reading a book called "John Maynard Keynes and International Relations - Economic Paths to War and Peace", by Donald Markwell. It's especially interesting on free trade and peace - really important today!
ReplyDeleteThe reference to the increased likelihood of international conflict over resources should remind us that it was once - certainly before and during World War 2 - widely taken for granted that there were major economic causes of war, and that economic policies and international economic institutions were important to prevent this and to increase the chances of peace. The economist Keynes, who is being revived today, certainly believed this. It may be in part because of the success of Keynes' project of post-war prosperity and therefore peace that we have largely lost sight of this - until now. Anyone wanting to think about the economic causes of war and (international and domestic) economic policies for encouraging peace might like to start by reading a book called "John Maynard Keynes and International Relations - Economic Paths to War and Peace", by Donald Markwell. It's especially interesting on free trade and peace - really important today!
ReplyDelete