No doubt regular readers have noticed our list of books on the sidebar.
I was looking for the pdf of Sir Gregory Copley’s earlier book, but instead came across a wonderful offer: a free download of the pdf of his current book, UnCivilization: Urban Geopolitics in a Time of Chaos (2012).
Amazon’s blurb [edited] says this about UNCiv:
When do civilizations begin … and end? And how?
Is this what we are witnessing as the 21st Century matures?
And as a totally new global architecture presents us with an unrecognizable world what does it all mean for the stability of nations-states, the prosperity of societies, the way we live and wage wars over the coming decades?
This study in Grand Strategy, Uncivilization: Urban Geopolitics in a Time of Chaos, outlines how we are already entering an age in which global population levels will begin to decline substantially, even as urbanization and economically- and security-driven transnational migration gather pace.
Population decline and movement patterns are also intersecting with economic, scientific, and power projection patterns, while urban social attitudes – the politics of urban societies – have created a revolutionary new political, social, and strategic reality. And urban man has also become electrical man, totally dependent on modern forms of energy. So the book looks at how energy dependency patterns are changing the opportunities and vulnerabilities of society.
The author, with five decades of work in military, intelligence and security studies, looks at how future warfare will be conducted, including cyber warfare and intelligence, and in the area of global logistics. This book shows that changes in the global strategic architecture mean that we really are engaged in an entirely new game. It’s time to learn the rules.
Grab it while you can. This Australian polymath predicts quite plausibly what’s coming with the global demographic implosion due around mid-century. Sure, many of us won’t be here in thirty years, but for those who want their children prepared, be sure to read this newer book.
This book could be alternately titled, “How I Quit Worrying and Learned to Love the Unpredictable”
Download “UnCivilization” here.
Sir Gregory’s writing style is clear and easy to read. Be sure to come back and let us know what you think. Be prepared, though: this book is descriptive. He’s not offering solutions. The global situation is far too complex for easy answers.
I do hope Israel and Australia are still around then. The world will need their complementary intelligence and energies. We know Australia will have to have a firm hand with China as a major trading partner. What the future holds for Israel is too uncertain in this increasingly corrupt world.
For those who believe carbon tax schemes are a good idea, here is his earlier book in pdf form. It was co-authored with two other strategists but a particular chapter he wrote predicted what would happen in Australia if the left got in and imposed those poverty-inducing carbon tax schemes. It proved all too true. Fortunately, Australian voters kicked the bums out and PM Abbott was called in to restore order.
Oh how I wish America could do that before we’re saddled with the next of Obama’s “signature” disasters. He’s planning a carbon tax scheme for us, too. Our president doesn’t do strategy, but he’s great at following his agenda down to the very last destructive line item. The title of the agenda? How to Destroy America in Eight Years or Less. He’s right on schedule, too.
Here’s Copley’s page of books some of which I hadn’t seen till now.
As you can tell, I’m a fan.
Dymphna,
“Sure, many of us won’t be here in thirty years,”
You imply that most of your readers are 45 years or older (assuming an optimistic life expectancy of 75 years). I hope you recognize the younger readers you have! I am 25 – gatesofvienna reminds me daily of how scared I should be about my future.
(Or you imply that NONE of us may be here in 30 years – also a realistic possibility.)
Well, Strawberry, I did bruise myself jumping to conclusions there. I presume that the young are busy doing other things. Too busy for contemplating the future.
If you get that “Energy Security” pdf, I think it will calm your fears somewhat. Yes, things will change – change being the only constant – but that’s not a bad thing.
And what Copley is plausibly predicting (along with a lot of other demographic watchers) is also not *necessarily* a bad thing. So go ahead and plant those oak trees; you may well be around to see them at their maturity.
Strawberry, I think Dymphna mentioned, ” Act Quickly, This Won’t Be Around Long – and Neither Will A Lot of Us” out of frustration, that and anxiety, that I and others feel for the future generations.
I don’t think Dymphna meant the “natural” end of life, which we all accept is going to happen willy-nilly, but we postpone thinking about it now. Sometimes we take comfort that we are going to continue living after death. Why? How? Heavens I don’t know. But I feel that my life started with that brilliant story of Adam and Eve. Plus the dreams that we have.
What if our afterlife is similar to when we have dreams. How come when we dream I go spiritually to visit our old house, fields, meadows, 5, 000 km away, with a little window where I was born. Then suddenly my wife makes a sound, and in one second I feel something coming back and entering my sleepy body. Are dreams a glimpse of what our lives are going to be in the next life?
I think what she meant was the hourly growing danger coming from jihadis, abetted by “elected” cowards, that put an untimely end to some western individuals’ lives, as it happened to Charlie Hebdo and in the humanist (naive) Denmark. If the trend continues, and I see no reason why it shouldn’t, young- and old’s lives will be cut short and crematoria will be busy.
China actually has an effective and scientific and noble way of stopping jihadis in their midst. No pampering, cowardly cuddling or romanticizing their presence and their attire. They cut scorpion’s sting. If they sting again they euthanize it.
murad, your dreams remind me of OBE (out of body experience) which is quite common in people who have had a near death experience.
I guess you have already proven to yourself with those ‘dreams’ that one survives their death in this world to be reborn in the ‘other place’ we have all come from.
Have you researched this aspect of our existence?
Given the way most people your age are implicitly brainwashed with cultural Marxist ideas (the terrorist community just wants jobs, etc), you have no idea how important it is that you encourage everyone anywhere close to your age to question what they’ve been taught and do their own research in support of that.
Us “uncool” “old people” can’t really do much about it.
The World doesn’t turn
– It’s finally proven
Saudi islamic scholar Bandar Al Khaybari (…) has decided so, as well as has proven it in front of UAE students at a seminar in Sharjah, near Dubai – by
quotes from the koran, and a dose of “common sense”.
What is more, Man never landed on the moon, according to this scholar, claiming that Western pseudo-Scientific studies are nothing to go by.
At Gregory R. Copley’s website he provides additional information that may be of interest. For instance, under the heading “Appearances” he links to a couple of his prior events with transcripts of the discussion at the time.
One of those events took place on January 16, 2008 the text is based on a lecture to the US Army Command and General Staff College, Ft. Belvoir, VA, titled “Grand Strategy in an Age of Tactics”.
…
To have a Grand Strategy requires men of vision, courage and intellect and to look beyond the next election cycle. Something that isn’t possible in our political system. Instead it drives such men away in disgust. So all we get are disreputable money and power hungry lawyers that are at heart mere dime store demagogues that are a embarrassments to even halfway intelligent people.
Maybe if we had another Eisenhower or Hadrian it would fixable. But like late Imperial Rome, such men are no longer welcomed in the halls of power.
Methinks that we must wait for the current order to take a tumble before it can be reconstituted into something a bit more sane because the status quo seems to have calcified and hence not reformable(which is usually the mark of death for said system).
“They” have the koran . .. do they need anything else?
On this Earth, there are two ways of convincing others: 1. by reason and experiments. 2. agree or else: I say 2+2 = 5 If you say 4 I’ll behead you.
Jihadi: Europe, open your borders for us because each of us has 4 wombs factories to manufacture legions of jihadis. You have to feed,clothe, and house them. Or else.
Europe: Yes, my lord.
Jihadi: Say muhamet was a prophet, merciful, righteous, virtuous, guiltless, a peace-lover or else my sword is drawn.
Europe: Yes, my lord. That’s true. Media and traitors are my witnesses.
Jihadi: That’s good. Now we are going somewhere. Your bridges, rivers, cities, buildings, fields, machines, women, … are all ours. You surrender them with your head dangled in submission. Therefore, we don’t need engineers, economists, scientists, doctors, statesmen. The only thing we need to get everything are: a sword, blunt knifes for maximum pain, grenades, and Kalashnikov. Past experience over 1435 years have proven sword-wielding hand can get the best food, the best houses and the best countries.
Europe: Yes that’s true my allah. (Whispering, trembling, lips blue from fear) Dhimmis, who have no wits and no will to resist, “future must not belong to them.”
Jihadi: (feeling for his knife) what did you say, coward?
Europe: I was just thinking out loud, my lord. I can’t say anything after inviting you here and enriching our life so much.
Are not our elected wonderful to achieve such a feat? Which muslim country can reach such levels of achievement?
Pages 164 and 165 are missing, and page 166 begins in mid-sentence, in
http://www.artofvictory.com/PDFs/UnCivilization-ebook%20Edition.pdf
Is something wrong here? Only on my end?
FWIW;
Page 163 is only partially visible. Pages 164 and 165 are blank for me too. I also tried the download but cannot open the file with adobe as the “file might be damaged”.
I tried to
(1) ‘copy’ the pages to see if the text was visible by highlighting as well…nothing was highlighted on the blank areas.
(2) googled the author’s name with selected quotes immediately prior & immediately after the blank pages – in an effort to see if he published any essays with the same statements in sequence…no hits.
(3) the quotes I grabbed for the search above were broken up once pasted and looked like this:
Suggesting a broken file?
Thank you so much.
Margit