Murrinations

Whilst the world has been focused on Trump's election and presidency, the last (following the Brexit vote and the election of Trump) of my three predictions for 2016 has come true; that President Xi would consolidate power to become as powerful as Mao.

North Korea has always been opportunistic with respect to playing the gaps in American foreign policy focus. For example, it chose to make its nuclear breakout when America was focusing on the second invasion of Iraq, ironically with the pretext of preventing the spreading of weapons of mass destruction. Recognising that America would not be able to respond, it was the moment when North Korea made its move.

One of the key principals expounded in Breaking the Code of History (BTCH) was that the majority of geopolitical conflicts are driven by resource competition. This prime driver can easily be considered as a unique human, negative quality.

On April 23rd, 2017 France will go to the polls and vote for a new president. Using the principals of Breaking the Code of History (BTCH), can we predict an outcome?

To draw an answer, we should consider three key drivers:

The EU

I have to confess that yesterday for the first time since his arrival on the presidential trail, Trump said something that really surprised me. After his naristicly driven argument with the press about the size of the crowd in attendance at his inauguration ceremony, any sane person would have been worried about Trump's truth. Balanced against such a negative, is the more recent signal that the hypocrisy so present in most Western politicians, may not be one of the characteristics of Trump's complex charater.

Ronseal is a British wood stain, paint and preservative manufacturer that originated the common, idiomatic slogan "Does exactly what it says on the tin".

Those who enjoy science fiction will already be familiar with the many films that feature Sentient Machines, some of which are benign manifestations and others much darker. The three films that best epitomise Sentient Machines that become set against their creators, mankind, are all series: "Battle Star Galactica", "The Matrix" and "The Terminator". None paint a rosy picture. Recently, some of the brightest scientific minds on the planet have warned that we are on a collision course for a war of survival against our own creations.

To answer the question of what will be the impact of Robotics on modern societies, we first have to look at both the Western democracies and the model of hierarchical leadership espoused by China. I believe that the advantages of democracy with its emphasis on the individual gave the Western world during 17th,18th,19th and 20th centuries a major advantage, allowing it to build and maintain a global maritime empire in a period that preceded instantaneous, wireless communications and direct command and control of maritime assets.

Most of us are aware of the Industrial Revolution in Britain in the 19th century, but how many people have truly appreciated the social impact of the arrival of these new technologies? This tumultuous period is known as the First Phase of the Industrial Revolution which heralded the advent of new manufacturing processes from 1760 to sometime between 1820 and 1840.

Over the past ten years I have written a great deal about the rise of China and its challenge to America. Especially, during the last eight years of rapid decay caused by Obama’s policies and specifically, the policies which have narrowed the America-China power gap considerably. However, the Chinese may have made a critical mistake, one encouraged by the over-confidence engendered by the recent speed of America's decline. Although, the decline of America has facilitated a rapid closure of the power gap, on an absolute basis the power gap is still very wide.