Jump to content

George Friedman

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Myrasdrabble (talk | contribs) at 19:02, 20 September 2022 (→Career). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Not to be confused with the French sociologist, Georges Friedmann.
George Friedman
Friedman in 2017
Born
Friedman György

(1949-02-01) February 1, 1949 (age 75)
Budapest, Hungary
NationalityAmerican
Known forFounder and chairman of Geopolitical Futures (since 2015) and Stratfor (1996–2015)
SpouseMeredith Friedman (née LeBard)
Children4
Academic background
EducationCity College of New York
Alma materCornell University
ThesisThe Political Philosophy of the Frankfurt School (1977)
Academic work
DisciplinePolitical scientist
InstitutionsDickinson College

George Friedman (Template:Lang-hu, born February 1, 1949) is a Hungarian-born U.S. geopolitical forecaster, author, and strategist on international affairs. He is the founder and chairman of Geopolitical Futures, an online publication that analyzes and forecasts the course of global events.[1] Prior to founding Geopolitical Futures, he was chairman of its predecessor Stratfor, the private intelligence publishing and consulting firm he founded in 1996.

Early life and education

Friedman was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1949[2] to Jewish parents who survived the Holocaust. His family fled Hungary when he was a child to escape the Communist regime as refugees, settling first in a camp for displaced persons in Austria and then emigrating to the United States. Friedman describes his family's story as "a very classic story of refugees making a new life in America." He grew up in New York City.[2] Friedman received a B.A. at the City College of New York, where he majored in political science, and a Ph.D. in government at Cornell University.[3]

Career

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, he studied potential for a Japan-U.S. conflict and co-authored with his wife The Coming War with Japan in 1991.[4]

In 1996, Friedman founded Stratfor, a private intelligence and forecasting company, and served as the company's CEO and Chief Intelligence Officer. Stratfor's head office is in Austin, Texas. He resigned from Stratfor in May 2015.[5] That year, he founded Geopolitical Futures.[6]

Friedman's reputation as a forecaster of geopolitical events led The New York Times magazine to comment, in a profile, "There is a temptation, when you are around George Friedman, to treat him like a Magic 8-Ball."[7]

In The Next Decade, Friedman argues how the U.S. administrations of the 2010s will need to create regional power balances, some of which have been disturbed. Friedman conceptualizes successful U.S. management of world affairs not by directly enforcing countries, but by creating competing relationships, which offset one another, in the world's different regions. For example, in the past, Iraq balanced Iran, and currently Japan balances China. Friedman asserts this is the decade where the U.S. as a power must mature to manage its power and balance as an unintended empire and republic.[8][9]

Friedman's latest book was released in 2020 by Doubleday. While originally scheduled to be released in January 2018, it was delayed six times before being released in 2020. The working title was The New American Century: Crisis, Endurance, and the Future of the United States,[10] but has subsequently been changed to The Storm Before the Calm: America's Discord, the Coming Crisis of the 2020s, and the Triumph Beyond.

Personal life

Friedman is married to Meredith Friedman (née LeBard), has four children, and lives in Austin, Texas.[11] He and his wife have co-authored several publications, including The Coming War with Japan.[12]

Bibliography

External videos
video icon Booknotes interview with Friedman and Meredith LeBard on The Coming War with Japan, June 9, 1991, C-SPAN
video icon Presentation by Friedman on America's Secret War, November 10, 2004, C-SPAN
video icon Presentation by Friedman on The Next 100 Years, January 28, 2009, C-SPAN
video icon Presentation by Friedman on The Next 100 Years, January 26, 2010, C-SPAN
video icon After Words interview with Friedman on The Next Decade, February 12, 2011, C-SPAN
video icon Presentation by Friedman on Flashpoints, January 28, 2015, C-SPAN
  • The Political Philosophy of the Frankfurt School (1981). Cornell University Press, ISBN 0-8014-1279-X.
  • The Coming War With Japan, with Meredith LeBard (1991). St Martins Press. Reprint edition, 1992, ISBN 0-312-07677-0.
  • The Future of War: Power, Technology and American World Dominance in the Twenty-First Century, with Meredith Friedman (1996). Crown Publishers, 1st edition, ISBN 0-517-70403-X. St. Martin's Griffin, 1998, ISBN 0-312-18100-0.
  • The Intelligence Edge: How to Profit in the Information Age with Meredith Friedman, Colin Chapman and John Baker (1997). Crown, 1st edition, ISBN 0-609-60075-3.
  • America's Secret War: Inside the Hidden Worldwide Struggle Between the United States and Its Enemies (2004). Doubleday, 1st edition, ISBN 0-385-51245-7. Broadway, reprint edition (2005). ISBN 0-7679-1785-5.
  • The Next 100 Years: A Forecast for the 21st Century (2009). Doubleday, ISBN 0-385-51705-X.
  • The Next Decade: What the World Will Look Like (2011). ISBN 0-385-53294-6.
  • Flashpoints: The Emerging Crisis in Europe (2015). Doubleday, ISBN 0-385-53633-X.
  • The Storm Before the Calm: America's Discord, the Coming Crisis of the 2020s, and the Triumph Beyond (2020). Doubleday, ISBN 9780385540490

References

  1. ^ "Geopolitical Futures | Keeping future in focus". geopoliticalfutures.com. Retrieved 2016-02-24.
  2. ^ a b "George Friedman". www.hungarianconservative.com. Retrieved 2022-09-20.
  3. ^ "The U.S. Stays on Top", Smithsonian, July 2010.
  4. ^ George Friedman; Meredith LeBard (1991). The Coming War With Japan. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 9780312058364.
  5. ^ Colin, Pope (2015-12-03). "Stratfor founder George Friedman starts media business". The Business Journals. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  6. ^ "George Friedman". Penguin Random House Audio. Retrieved 2022-09-20.
  7. ^ Matt Bai (April 20, 2003). "Spooky". New York Times Magazine.
  8. ^ George Friedman (January 28, 2011). "America's Greatest Challenge". The Daily Beast.
  9. ^ J. Peter Pham (February 6, 2011). "The Next Decade, by George Friedman". San Francisco Chronicle.
  10. ^ "The New American Century by George Friedman". Penguin Random House. Archived from the original on 2017-05-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  11. ^ "George Friedman - Insider". Business Insider. Retrieved 2022-09-20.
  12. ^ Booknotes Archived 2012-09-07 at the Wayback Machine interview with Friedman and Meredith LeBard on The Coming War With Japan, June 9, 1991.
Wikiquote has quotations related to George Friedman.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to George Friedman.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=George_Friedman&oldid=1111389096"