“As the global powers diverge and Europe is caught in the middle, the lack of hard power will matter more and more. Being rich and weak is a dangerous combination. Europe therefore lives in a world of wolves.” ~ George Friedman

By Catherine Austin Fitts

George Friedman, chairman of private intelligence firm Stratfor, never tires of trying to get us to understand the role of geography and the threads of history in the events before us. In his latest book, Flashpoints: The Emerging Crisis in Europe, he is at it again. This time he weaves in his personal story of his parents efforts to bring their family from Hungary to the United States when he was six years old. It is a reminder of the reasons for the extraordinary loyalty to America inspired by the refugee experience during WWII.

Friedman revisits the impact of WWI and WWII on Europe – and of the extraordinary devastation wrought on the European and global population as a result. It is a sobering reminder of the pressure on European leaders to maintain peace and prosperity. He then reviews the challenges of keeping a continent that is this fractured operating as what is now, on a united basis, the richest market in the world.

Friedman is unabashedly American, while still dropping the occasional insight that explains our foibles as well. This is a sobering look at some of the issues facing Europe in the rebalancing of the global economy. As I describe in the 2014 Annual Wrap Up, the squabbles along the Silk Road between a wealthy Europe and a rising Asia are going to create more than a few headaches for Europe this year.  Friedman is right, there are wolves on the prowl.