Welcome to the New Age of Upheaval

Har­vard his­to­ri­an Niall Fer­gu­son has writ­ten exten­sive­ly about the rise and fall of great empires and finan­cial sys­tems. Writ­ing for For­eign Pol­i­cy, Fer­gu­son now warns that the spi­ral­ing eco­nom­ic cri­sis may soon pose seri­ous threats to inter­na­tion­al peace and Amer­i­can secu­ri­ty. As we saw dur­ing the late 1930s, eco­nom­ic cri­sis often sets the stage for full-blown polit­i­cal and pos­si­bly mil­i­tary cri­sis, and we’re already see­ing the risk of upheaval in nine coun­tries, includ­ing Soma­lia, Rus­sia, and Mex­i­co. Fer­gu­son clos­es by say­ing: “Eco­nom­ic volatil­i­ty, plus eth­nic dis­in­te­gra­tion, plus an empire in decline: That com­bi­na­tion is about the most lethal in geopol­i­tics. We now have all three. The age of upheaval starts now.”

via The Dai­ly Dish