Eurasia's Ian Bremmer picks 2019's biggest risks - for investors and citizens
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Eurasia Group’s founder and chief executive Ian Bremmer tends to leave an impression. And owning his own powerful business gives him the rare luxury of being paid to tell uber truths that most other pundits steer away from.
I met him at an RMB conference in Cape Town two years ago, when he explained how his interactions with confidants of then newly elected US President Donald Trump left no doubt that a trade war was coming, it was only a matter of when. In Trump’s mind, he said, China had to be stopped before it took America’s crown. And best to do it sooner than later.
That was an extreme view back then. Trump was seen as all bluster and no follow through. But as we well know, Bremmer was right on the money. Such is his reputation that Bloomberg’s senior commentator Tom Keene has made it something of a tradition to kick off his own year by interviewing Bremmer on what he sees for the year ahead. He did so again this week and later caught up with Bremmer's colleague, research strategy head Meredith Sumpter, who added some colour and detail. Trump, Brexit, populism, trade wars, tech giant bashing, extremism....looks like 2019 will have lots of 2018's features.
I met him at an RMB conference in Cape Town two years ago, when he explained how his interactions with confidants of then newly elected US President Donald Trump left no doubt that a trade war was coming, it was only a matter of when. In Trump’s mind, he said, China had to be stopped before it took America’s crown. And best to do it sooner than later.
That was an extreme view back then. Trump was seen as all bluster and no follow through. But as we well know, Bremmer was right on the money. Such is his reputation that Bloomberg’s senior commentator Tom Keene has made it something of a tradition to kick off his own year by interviewing Bremmer on what he sees for the year ahead. He did so again this week and later caught up with Bremmer's colleague, research strategy head Meredith Sumpter, who added some colour and detail. Trump, Brexit, populism, trade wars, tech giant bashing, extremism....looks like 2019 will have lots of 2018's features.
