Belinda Silbert Futurewatch Report 2019

The world stage for this year will be a melange of stage-props and lighting and as a result, we will find it challenging to discern the true nature of the unfolding drama .

The political, economic and environmental spheres will overlap and a cross-pollination of interests will blur boundaries in this regard. Nouveau governance will need to be increasingly eco-based and the ecology of both the physical environment and the political hierarchical structures will need to be addressed.

The trend for 2019 is the interplay of fascism; nationalism; colonialism and the opposing forces of anti-corporate eco-warriors, tax revolutionaries and activists who will motivate for the unbundling of a wide variety of government interests.

Neo- Libertarianism and Anarchism will hybridize at the coal-face of activism and the locus of power will shift towards individual enfranchisement rather than One-world Government. Citizens will want to have direct voting power as a result of flexing their decision-making muscles on the internet and they will increasingly agitate for ownership of self rather than land and there will be preference displayed for less responsibility for property ownership and more flexibility in working hours and nomadic freedoms.

Break-away currencies will continue to be a theme this year and Blockchain technologies and their offerings will become increasingly sophisticated in order to utilize the new systems of exchange.

Cyber/Crypto-based-currencies will morph and even Bitcoin will soon appear dated. Over the next few years, there will be proponents of a DNA-based currency that will be even more radical than the notion of allowing oneself to be micro-chipped. Biometrics and face-recognition will pervade our lives. A.I based security-monitoring will shape our options in life-altering ways and will be at odds with the desire to dismantle corporates and unbundle government structures that ideally would afford more individual freedoms of movement and choice.

A major theme this year: Watch out for “wolves in sheep’s clothing!” World leaders will engage in posturing and sabre-rattling to divert attention from their intended aims. This will be seen in regime-changes where there will be a great deal of covert support. The true wars are already being fought behind the scenes.

Iran as a regime is already in its dying throes. It will flap in the water like a dying fish. The danger lies in the final desperate acts of the dying regime and these will need to be pre-empted by exercising foresight and planning for possible scenarios

The fall of the present regime with covert support from a major Western Power will be followed by the return of the late Shah’s family who this time return to rebuild the glory of Persia through promoting Democracy.

Iran’s proxies will fall like a deck of cards. Prior to the ultimate fall however, the proxy Hezbollah will be problematic. The people of Lebanon will turn on Hezbollah but will struggle to oust them from their midst because they are now intrinsic to societal infrastructure and are in essence embedded like tumorous growths that have metastasized, Nevertheless, long-dormant old political factions will resurge in Lebanon and alliances will be renewed in order to uproot and excise Hezbollah.

Israeli Intelligence will mitigate several local and international threats of terrorism. Significant wars will be avoided because of this despite threats by Iran and its proxies to annihilate Israel.

Syria will remain uncertain terrain for a while but significant rebuilding could commence in the second half of the year . It will be disappointing to witness the realisation that the world’s leaders have now thrown their collective weight behind the “Butcher of Damascus” Assad.

Russia: As Brexit looms, the EU will begin to unravel at first subtly and then more obviously. Russia will enter the void and the vision of a reborn USSR without Communism this time could poke its head over the horizon. The question will arise as to whether this is “A Greater Russia” policy or neo-colonialism. Russian might and a determination to be the superpower of the world will make for a formidable new opponent and be a game-changer.

China bears close monitoring although there is very little that can be done to regulate it.The country will develop new technological initiatives to address its environmental concerns as the factory-state of the world.

Its recent addition of smog-towers will be rolled out throughout the country and they will be improved upon. China’s military might will remain a force to be reckoned with since it is not going to wish to relinquish its position as a super-power in the face of increased Russian strength.

There will be further revelations about clamp-downs on “religious undesirables” and the lack of intervention by the rest of the world will not be viewed very favourably by future historians.

American interests in shaping South American politics and influence in regime changes in this regard as well as covert support for Iran may come to light this year too. America will need very creative foreign policies in order to stay “in the game” with China; Russia; North Korea AND India becoming increasingly important role-players on the world stage.

New technology for suturing cells together will be discovered. Novel proteins will be used for diverse treatments and smart clinics and tele-medicine will be implemented more widely. Personalised medicine based on your personal genetic profile will become more accessible and cures for cancer; Altzheimers ; Parkinsons; Cystic Fibrosis; ALS; MS and HIV are close too.

There will be an emphasis on eradication not alleviation of diseases and chronic conditions with an increase in interest in geriatric care and Longevity studies.CRISPR technology will become even more sophisticated and accessible to non-Scientific , non-medical “bio-hackers.”

Minimally invasive medical procedures will become used more often and very soon, our traditional operating practices will be used very little.

Extreme climatic changes and “natural” disasters will be on the agenda for 2019 and must be planned for in advance through adequate models of disaster management and scenario-modelling. Unfortunately, Asia will still remain an epi-centre for earthquake and Tsunami activity but no continent will be spared the extreme weather pattern fall-out.

The field of Space-Law will become a desirable profession because extra-terrestrial mining-rights will need to be negotiated as nations argue over lunar mining rights. Tussles will ensue later on over mining in the asteroid belt too.

This is the age of space exploration and off-world colonisation and the space race will heat up. There will soon be the possibility to purchase “real-estate” on orbiting space-stations and the Asgardia Space Nation will be taken seriously.

In 2019, it will be crucial to be “agile”- resilience in the face of rapid change will be your strongest attribute. Go forth in hope and with creativity and change the face of history.