Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/04/28/Niall_Ferguson_and_Peter_Schwartz_on_Human_Progress
Historian Niall Ferguson debates futurist author Peter Schwartz on the historical roots of modern-day conflicts in the Middle East.
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Niall Ferguson and Peter Schwartz present Historian vs. Futurist on Human Progress as part of The Long Now Foundation’s Seminars about Long-term Thinking.
Niall Ferguson, MA, D.Phil., is the Laurence A. Tisch Professor of History at Harvard University. He is a resident faculty member of the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies.
He is also a Senior Research Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford University, and a Senior Fellow of the Hoover Institution, Stanford University.
He is most recently the author of the books The War of the World: Twentieth-Century Conflict and the Descent of the West (2006) and Colossus: The Rise and Fall of the American Empire (2004).
Peter Schwartz is cofounder and chairman of Global Business Network (GBN), a unique membership organization and worldwide network of strategists, business executives, scientists, and artists based in Emeryville, California. Established in 01988, GBN specializes in corporate scenario planning and research on the future of the business environment. From 01982 to 01986, Peter headed scenario planning for the Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies in London. His team conducted comprehensive analyses of the global business and political environment and worked with senior management to create successful strategies.
Schwartz is the co-author of both the 01999 books The Long Boom, and When Good Companies Do Bad Things: Responsibility and Risk in an Age of Globalization, and is the author of the 01991 book, The Art of the Long View: Planning for the Future in an Uncertain World. He is a member of the Long Now Foundation’s Board of Directors.
Duration : 0:5:27
Funny, one of the …
Funny, one of the key reasons the Ottoman empire fell was because of it’s defunct economic system.
They wish they had British economics.
When White men …
When White men domination of world will End then End of Wars will come for sure
When Turkey decided …
When Turkey decided to stand up for it’s sovereignty, as oppossed to the “Free Trade” enslavement of the then British Empire. It (Turkey) stood as the one country that would cause the rest of the middle east to possibly adopt the same process. This was in direct conflict with the British design and would not be tolerated. Self dependent country states would bring down Britains entire economic plan for the world. Just like U.S. Tariffs were used by lincoln.
This utopian image …
This utopian image you have of the ME prior to the embarkment of white feet on the soil bears no resemblance to the historical conditions of the region prior. Brutal despotism had always existed in an excessive quantity in the region and simply picked up where it had left of following the era of decolonization.
The ottoman empires …
The ottoman empires collaspe came from within and without, Empires grow old and die like all things.
The young turk revolution radically changed the political system of the empire,Making it more centralized ,liberal and Turk focused.The Istanbul regime became more estranged from its none Turkish subjects.
Choosing to aligning with the central powers in ww1 , Is what pitted Britain against the Ottoman empire.
excellent video. …
excellent video. stresses the importance of history and not just taking Middle East for granted.
There words they …
There words they are looking for to describe the problems are:
1Western Imperialism
2Massive greed to control 50% of the worlds OIL and GAS resources
3. RACISM, yes this is true, if they white skinned christains/atheist that spoke english would we be doing what we are doing? NO I THINK NOT.
Look at all the …
Look at all the other countries that we up like Lybia, Arabia and Palestine (by the british), Syria and Algeria (by the French) Egypt, Iraq, Iran, ( the USA & Britain ) Look what Britain/USA and Isreal have done to Lebanon.
IRAQ has been …
IRAQ has been totally destroyed by 2 US wars and scansions that were considered by the UN to be cenocidal. Iran is still off about the dictator/Revoultions and that the USA asked saddam to attack and invade IRAN. Any country in the Middle East that wants independent sovereignty is not tolerated by the west at all.
This has been going …
This has been going on now for nearly a 100 years and only looks to get worse. USA and ISREAL still wont give the palestinians there own state ( a fair one that is equal to both the palestinians and the Zionist ).
I like they way the …
I like they way the both avoid actually telling the real cause of the conflict and the sectarian violence. Constant western interference destablising the countries, placing dictators in power that oppress the population and cause revolutions that create violence in the unnatural power vacuum left behind.
great introspective.
great introspective.
the Ottoman Empire …
the Ottoman Empire was called the Ottoman Empire back in WW1, which the British and French have carved up (with little regard for the population) into the various countries we know today, most of which were instated with a puppet ruler, even in regions where such ruler had no cultural basis in their form. Churchill exterminated villages men women and children with chemical weapons(or by droping bombs), they didnt give a crap about the population. Hope this answers your question
cheers
‘ I suggest you be …
‘ I suggest you be far more cautious about the sources’
Thanks for the advice, but what are your sources to the contrary?
Rick, I suggest you …
Rick, I suggest you be far more cautious about the sources of how you inform yourself. Be far more critical and demanding of credibility when presented with claims. Your last comments discredit you.
Afghanistan and …
Afghanistan and Iraq today are occupied countries, administered by puppet governments and dotted with permanent military bases securing the energy assets. This is not a by-product of the Bush Administration’s warmaking: this was its purpose.
I’m right there …
I’m right there with you, Irtdad. I could only think about the religious radicalism and the expansionist claims of Islam centuries before as a justification to jihadists today. Ferguson knows his history, but while I would argue that today’s radicals are very shallow (as to the history of) their grievances, the roots of those grievances are given a justification stretching far back into Islam’s history than merely the 20th century.
Niall Ferguson was …
Niall Ferguson was not bad, but I felt like the focus of the whole debate was very off. They’re talking about inter-ethnic conflicts and so on, and there’s really no mention of post-colonial imperialism and oil, which is perhaps the greatest incentive for conflict in the region today.
The Brits and …
The Brits and Americans have invaded, bombed, instated dictators for the Oil for almost a century
Israel has bombed Brits and americans while blaming arabs to have the US bomb their enemies for decades
US/UK/Israel foster division and sectarian strife to better control (divide to conquer), before Iraq’s secterian outburst, MI6 agents were caught with explosives dressed as arabs(good bet they used false flag to ignite the escalation of sectarian violence)
1906: Dreadnaught …
1906: Dreadnaught ship design, it also uses a 1,120 ton tank of OIL
1908: Oil discovered in Masjed Soleiman(Iran)
1912: the Turkish Petroleum Company seeks a concession from the Ottoman Emp to explore for Iraqi oil
By 1914 the German Controled Berlin-Baghdad railway is nearly completed
1914: British invade Basara(Iraq)
1918: British Invade Mosul