Institutional and Socioeconomic Cycles in the US
June NAUA Academy Session
“Can Cycles of History Explain our Troubled Times? Two Views”
with Joyce Francis & Mark Reimers
Tuesday, June 9th
4:30 PM PDT / 7:30 PM EDT
Zoom link for session: https::/tinyurl.com/nauaacademy
George Friedman (a geopolitical forecaster, founder of Geopolitical Futures and NYT bestselling author of “The Next 100 Years”) published “The Storm Before the Calm,” predicting in 2020 the reshaping of foreign policy, economics and culture that we are currently experiencing. He explains this upheaval as a unique convergence of two cycles that the U.S. has repeatedly experienced throughout its history – a 50-year socioeconomic and an 80-year institutional cycle. He saw these cycles converging in the mid-2020s with great disruption, but resolving in the 2030s stronger and more stable. An optimistic message for our troubled times.
An alternate view argues that, although society’s sentiments swing back and forth in the years after wars or plagues, there’s no steady metronome rhythm to history.
Joyce Francis, Ph.D., taught international relations at George Mason, Tulane, and American Universities. She serves on the NAUA Academy Advisory Board and is a founding member of the 2-year-old Salish Sea Fellowship in Port Hadlock, WA, where she directs its Adult Learning Programs (ALPs). This is her third Academy presentation; previous topics were “Race Amity” and “Rise of the Nones.”