What Actually Mattered This Week: State of the World 2023
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WHAT ACTUALLY MATTERED THIS WEEK
Today, when I speak of war, I must specify which one we’re talking about.
Is it the one remaking the security architecture of Europe? Or the one destabilizing the Middle East that threatens global religious conflict? Or maybe the war that Americans are fighting among themselves?
The dangerous state of global politics we’re in is unprecedented (in my lifetime at least).
However, I will never underestimate the power of human resilience.
I broke down where we are, why we’re here, and where we’re going in my annual State of the World speech:
I can sense a new bumper sticker dropping…?
Earlier this week, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said Israel is in danger of winning the tactical battle, but losing the strategic battle, as Palestinian civilians continue to be killed in huge numbers.
It’s the first time I’ve ever heard an American Secretary of Defense talk about a major US ally’s potential strategic loss in a war…which is kind of a big deal.
Turns out that jailing everyone isn’t good for demographics.
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TRUTHS, DAMNED TRUTHS, AND STATISTICS
?The crisis of American healthcare in two charts:
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THE GZERO WORLD WE’RE JUST LIVING IN
THE GRAPHIC TRUTH
YOUR GZERO WORLD
On GZERO World, I sat down with physician and biologist Siddhartha Mukherjee to explore the recent advances, benefits, and risks of human enhancement with technology. Mukherjee’s latest book, “The Song of the Cell,” explores the history and medical science behind “the new humans,” a term he uses to describe people who have been altered in some way, initially for medical purposes and, potentially in the future, for enhancement. Bremmer and Mukherjee discuss the transformative impact of new tools like CRISPR gene-editing, AI-powered prosthetics, and brain implants that can help treat everything from movement disorders to depression.
领英推荐
“The idea of the human is changing,” Mukherjee says, "CRISPR, synthetic biology, prosthetic biology with AI, and cloning of individuals—that’s what I mean by the new human.”
These new medical technologies could radically improve our understanding of health and the human body, leading to a future of new medicines, cures for fatal diseases, expanded cognitive capabilities, and even communication with deceased loved ones. But there are also ethical implications to tinkering with human nature, including eugenics as a result of gene editing, the potential for AI to create toxic molecules, and the danger of real-time experimentation on the ecosystem with CRISPR. How do we balance the life-changing potential of biotech tools without changing the very nature of what it means to be human?
For a longer, wider-ranging version of my interview check out the GZERO World?podcast.
WORLD IN 60
Why is Biden's handling of the Israel-Hamas war hurting his reelection bid?
Does France have a terrorism problem?
Are Venezuela and Guyana on the brink of war?
Find out in this week’s World in 60 Seconds!
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BECAUSE THE INTERNET
Dropping soon: my new buddy cop film with the Japanese Prime Minister
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WHAT TO READ THIS WEEK
Looking ahead to 2024, it feels like the United States has (almost) never been this divided. Warring views of American history and imagined ideals for the country’s future have polarized Americans enough to blind some to the founding fathers’ original and most important commitment to a free and fair democracy. In "Democracy Awakening", Heather Cox Richardson masterfully weaves 250 years of history into a vibrant and accessible read that shows us what history can teach us about ourselves, and what the future of democracy can be.
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DEEP THOUGHTS
“It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
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Thanks for reading!?Please subscribe to GZERO Daily for coverage of global politics. And make sure to read my latest book?The Power of Crisis?for a roadmap of this decade's great crises and how they might help us build a better world.
Founding Partner at Fournier Law Firm - Cross-Border Transactions and Advisory Practice
1 年As always, Ian Bremmer gives us a thoughtful, informed and crisp analysis of the geopolitical situation today. Superb! ?????? we are very lucky to have him! ????????
Associate Professor, Metropolitan State University, College of Business and Management
1 年I don’t think people fully grasp the root cause of this polarization: targeted media, especially cable “news.” These outfits have no stake in building an informed electorate, nor do the politicians who give them their material. They raise money for re-election by feeding the outlets the partisan red meat they need to attract and keep viewers. It is a winning business model for the biased media and the politicians, but not for the First Amendment and the country. When “media” are out to make money and have no ethical, professional or legal guardrails, they will tell people whatever they want to hear. A surprising proportion of Americans know this is happening—yet they continue watching and reading from the same, demonstrably unreliable sources. That often includes disparagement of other, more legitimate and truthful information sources (thus the term “mainstream media”). That, by the way, is how cults build a firewall around their lies. “Everyone else is lying to you,” they will say. Until these sources of information are required under law to be truthful and balanced (as broadcast media are), Americans will seek out the version of reality that pleases them most, and the echo chambers and polarization will remain.
Escritor e Palestrante
1 年América do Sul. Venezuela quer um peda?o rico da Guiana. No que isso vai dar?
My opinions are mine alone, but facts are facts.
1 年Well, to be fair, the US government is designed that way. None of the other G7 governments are.