World Class Crisis, WWI (one) Redux? With their guest Rory Stewart and Alastair Campbell nod and say we might be “steamrolling” toward it, in part due to the world configuration of nations and diffusion of power which Internationalists like he and Alastair reject. Alastair and Stewart are joined by Historian Odd Arne Westad to discuss all these questions and more.

China, Africa and Demographics

Elsewhere Westad, who sometimes indulges contrary analyses, says,

“Every single country outside of African countries has falling birth rates, sometimes at a fairly high level. The population increase is going down. Only in Africa is it actually expanding at a high rate. This has enormous demographic consequences when we move to a generation cohort, where most young people in the world will be in Africa.

Some time ago, we saw that as a massive problem, but now it’s a massive opportunity. Young people have the potential to staff the factories and industries and drive productive growth in the future. Some of my American friends are saying all these countries are so backward and they have to get their policies in order. My response to this is always that, because with these points of opportunities, people will make use of it, just like in China. Why did China succeed? It had sensible economic policies and a young, hungry population who wanted to make better lives for themselves.

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