What lies ahead?

Our goal is to inspire organizations to change their destination and contribute to a better future. It’s even in our name: ‘ftrprf’ are the consonants of ‘futureproof .’We help organizations to find a new perspective and create sustainable impact. That asks for conceptual thinking and thorough insights on changes to come. 

To support this, we started ‘the change project .’It’s our most extensive research ever to bring structure to the significant changes coming our way. We analyzed thousands of documents, studies, and articles. We identified and elaborated on 96 major changes, from sustainable food systems, political activism, blockchain, digital health to blue zones and geopolitics.

The ‘Geopolitics’ section starts with an interesting fact: in the past 3,400 years, for 268 years, there have been no recorded wars. Just 8% of recorded history have humans been at peace. It describes changes regarding five topics related to geopolitics: traditional security concerns, the changing nature of conflicts, strategic resources, perspective on human security, and global actors & shifting power. It talks about the increase in military spending, privatization of security, new warfare, cyberwar, terrorism, resources and crime, human security. It talks about ‘old and new wars,’ stating: “increasingly, wars are not fought between two countries, but between a state and a non-state actor (like the War or Terror), or even two non-state actors. Moreover, conflicts are no longer relatively short wars but long intractable conflicts. Generally, these conflicts are low in intensity but with sudden spikes in aggression. The war in Syria is a prime example of such conflicts”.

In the whole chapter, the word ‘Ukraine’ is missing. Just like ‘Putin,’ ‘Russian aggression,’ ‘war in Europe,’ ‘the threat of a third world war.’ Apparently, dozens of prominent scientists and we did not think this war was a predictable option. The war that’s going on right now seemed too unlikely to the experts. And it changes our collective destiny.

The future of our society is being rewritten. That future revolves around words such as safety, integrity, sustainability, and solidarity. Today, we are rewriting the chapter in the change book. And we are discussing what else we can do besides standing by the Ukrainians, speaking out for solidarity, and against these atrocities.

Sources:

Hedges, ‘What Every Person Should Know About War’, in The New York Times. 6 July 2003, viewed on 8 December 2021.

Deudney, ‘Geopolitics’, in Britannica. No date, viewed on 8 December 2021. 

Rudy, ‘National Security versus Human Security’, in GPPAC. 21 January 2018, viewed on 8 December 2021. 

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, ‘World military spending rises to almost $2 trillion in 2020’, in Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. 26 April 2021, viewed on 8 December 2021.

Morgan and R. Cohen, ‘Military Trends and the Future of Warfare’, in RAND Corporation. 11May  2020, viewed on 29 December 2021. 

Cohen, E. Han, and A. Rhoades, ‘Geopolitical Trends and the Future of Warfare’, in RAND Corporation. 11 May 2020, viewed on 29 December 2021.  

Kaldor, ‘Peacemaking in an Era of New Wars’, in Carnegie Europe. 14 October 2019, viewed on 8 December 2021. 

Albuquerque, ‘New Wars and New Practices in Contemporary Armed Conflicts’, in E-International Relations. 26 May 2020, viewed on 8 December 2021. 

Moseley, ‘Just War Theory’, in Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. No date, viewed on 8 December 2021. 

Horgan, ‘We Need a New Just-War Theory, Which Aims to End War Forever’, in Scientific American. 24 April 2013, viewed on 8 December 2021. 

Moseley, ‘Just War Theory’, in Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. No date, viewed on 8 December 2021.