Opening remarks

Taking a lead from the predisposition that the world is changing in profound and unprecedented ways, as the shifting forces of international power dynamics, culture and climate intersect each with consequences that will only be fully understood in decades to come, this forum aims to better understand the changes at work, as they happen.

Believing that our emerging future is at once for everyone to influence and for no one to decide, the authors herein seek to gain clarity in the best, and most reliable place possible: At the intersection of multiple highly specialized perspectives, well versed in the most up-to-date trends, facts, and figures, but with an acute, and necessary regard given to those of the past as well. We do not pretend to know the future, just some of the forces at work which will shape it, past and present. Bringing our collective knowledge together may thus yield knowledge that is ultimately greater than the sum of its parts. We aim to reveal such possibilities.

Questions will be submitted by the authors to the group or through suggestions from readers on a monthly basis, and each author will respond in the form of an essay, referring to each other's remarks as they appear. Transcripts and summaries of discussions among group members and their guests may also appear.