| I sat down with George Friedman of Geopolitical Futures to discuss his latest annual forecast, and what a conversation it turned out to be. George walks us through what he calls the “re-anchoring” of the world order. The Cold War didn’t truly end with the fall of the Soviet Union—it ended in Ukraine, where Russia proved it couldn't even take its neighbor. Now the US-China relationship has replaced the US-Russia dynamic as the world’s primary anchor, creating a fundamentally different situation. We dig into the economic challenges both countries face, the future of NATO, and yes—I had to ask George about Greenland. George also shares his thoughts on what comes after Trump, the demographic crisis facing the developed world, and why Russia’s position has become increasingly precarious. As many of you know, George Friedman is a renowned geopolitical strategist, best-selling author, and the founder of Geopolitical Futures. You can get special access to his work by following the link below. Subscribe to Geopolitical Futures here: https://geopoliticalfutures.com/product/subscription-special-for-mauldin-economics-readers/ Follow George Friedman’s work here: https://geopoliticalfutures.com/ Follow George Friedman on X here: https://x.com/george_friedman Sign up for Ed D’Agostino’s free newsletter here: https://www.mauldineconomics.com/global-macro-update?utm_source=SYTB&utm_medium=GM&utm_campaign=jm-563&utm_term=260123&utm_content=JM563GM40088 Follow Ed D’Agostino on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ed-d-agostino-415475296/ Follow Ed D’Agostino on Twitter: https://x.com/EdDAgostino Timestamps: 0:00 – Introduction 1:03 – The world is becoming re-anchored 3:40 – US-China: A more intimate relationship 9:08 – One-quarter of the world’s economy 10:25 – What about Europe? 12:38 – Is NATO obsolete at this point? 14:38 – The “why” behind Greenland 20:03 – The Donroe Doctrine 22:04 – Middle of the storm 28:05 – Spooky entanglement 29:45 – What’s next for Russia? |
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