The world in 10 years

The last four decades have witnessed the profound transformation of the very foundations of the international system: the globalization of trade, technical revolutions, the upheaval of the hierarchy of powers, the emergence of China, the explosion of the Middle-East, the mutation of conflicts and threats, climate concerns, etc.

This special issue of Politique étrangère celebrates the 40th anniversary of IFRI. It includes contributions by the best international specialists to clarify and shed light on the major trends affecting today’s effervescent world: Where is it taking us? What may happen on this global stage, in all its parts, over the next ten years?

How far is the world going to be “de-westernized”? Does modernity concentrate power, or dilute it? How should the advances of the international financial system be evaluated, and what are their limits? Can poverty be reduced further? Will the energy transition be successful? What forms will international violence take? What will the world’s population look like in 2029? Are new technologies redesigning new geopolitics? Is global trade hesitating between trade war or multilateralism? Is Europe undoing itself, or reconstructing itself? What is the economic and political future of Africa in all its pluralities? Is the Middle-East doomed to breakdown? Will Asia be the center of tomorrow’s world?

How is the world of 2029 being sketched out today?