Important Reading: Old Grievances Do Not Go Away

This is an important book for anyone interested in contemporary geopolitics. Friedman takes us on a quick tour of European history which focuses on the rise of Germany three times: As an economic and military power leading to World War I, as a military power under Hitler, and as the greatest post-war economic power. Now being a rich, but militarily weak, country, Friedman explains the many challenges that Germany faces for itself, and that it creates for the rest of Europe. His discussion also chronicles the reemergence of Russia, and its need to move its "buffer" to the west, having been re-positioned far to the east after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Friedman also weighs in on the enigma of France and how it is neither really a northern European economic power or a weak southern European country, but a curious mixture of both. And, of course, Great Britain's role is analyzed. No longer a world power, Britain needs Europe and keeps a watchful eye on it, but does not really want to commit to the European Union. Friedman's most incisive discussion, however, involves borderlands across the quilt of many nations that form Europe. Some borderlands are peaceful and will likely remain that way, while others--most notably Ukraine--form the flashpoint for future conflicts. Friedman's main point is that the contention that the European Union ushered in an age of prosperity for all that made conflict and war a thing of the past is simply not true. Very thought provoking. I may listen again.

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Some great insights waterlogged by baseless speculation

Some great insights in this book, but George makes a number of leaps to baseless conclusions. He tries to fill the gaps with personal anecdote but this fails to prop up a chicken little argument. In the end you feel like you've had a long conversation with your smart but a little bit melodramatic uncle.

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very interesting & informative!

I had hesitations initially about being bored. did not happen! very informative and very interesting. highly recommend to any American looking for insight into European history.

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SERIOUSLY GOOD READ

From day one the Euro was a deeply flawed currency (one currency with 13+ different fiscal policies.... really?) and the financial crisis of 2008-9, and Europe's inability to cope with differing needs, led to +25% unemployment in the weaker economies, which is resulting in the rise of far right political parties and..... George Friedman and his company Stratfor have been advising multi-national corporations for years and this book is for all of us. Great food for thought. Concise political history, well reasoned speculation on probable political reactions and insightful analysis of social dynamics make this book a must read. I can't recommend it strongly enough.

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Must better than what I expected

Any additional comments?

The thoroughness of the writer's dig into history was impressive. I learned so much from this book and yearn to determine what else he wrote that comes close to this book in terms of quality and interest.

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Detached from reality

It already starts on the wrong foot: The EU was created to never have war in europe again.
No the EU was created to have a war again. That is why they steal money from some subjects and give it to the rulers of some other subjects. Of course this creates hate.

Just another author who does not see the difference between rulers and ruled in a nation. He has nations 'wanting' things and 'fearing' other nations. News: nations do not have feelings. A country is just a tax farm. You can not say that the rulers and the ruled 'want' something. They want different things.

He states that trade might draw people closer together and prevent war, but can also cause war as 'nations try to get the upper hand over other nations'. He never read the wise words of Goering after WWII:
"Of course the people don't want war. But after all, it's the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it's always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it's a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger."
-- Herman Goering at the Nuremberg trials

Rulers want to go to war. Governments are a monopoly on violence. Their language is violence.The problem is not difference in cultures. It is the approval of a bunch of people to initiate force. They will always run up debts and create crisis so they have more power in the hands of fever people.

Friedman sees nationalism as the problem, and a new world order or one government as a solution. More power in the hands of fever and fever people, is not a solution. It is a recepy for disaster.

So new crisis in europe: yes, but the reasoning behind it is all false.

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A Pessimist & Narrow View

If you could sum up Flashpoints in three words, what would they be?

Historic, Europe, Pessimistic

Would you recommend Flashpoints to your friends? Why or why not?

Yes, it has some good accounts of European history.
No, it disregards technological advancements and has, in my view/hope, little predictive power.

If you could give Flashpoints a new subtitle, what would it be?

Assuming things never change...

Any additional comments?

Disclaimer, I am European (though not German) and, in contrast to the author, generally quite optimistic. While I try to stay objective, it is unavoidable that these facts influence my disagreement with some of the claims that Mr. Friedman makes.

First, let me start out by saying that I really enjoyed parts of the book. It seems to be a through analysis of history and geopolitics in and around Europe. I enjoyed Mr. Firedman's analysis of why certain nations behaved in a certain way in the last century and in recent history. In particular, his view on geopolitics in the borderlands between 'the peninsula' (the EU) and 'mainland Europe' (Russia) was of interest to me. I think the book helped me in understanding the connections between the war Georgia, the conflict in Ukraine, and the tensions between Russia and the baltic states.

While I enjoyed the historic accounts of Mr. Friedman, I am less convinced of his ability to predict future developments, however. The claims he makes are little more than an extrapolation of past events without taking into account recent developments. They are, as I see it, the result of his general pessimistic and sometimes borderline racist view. If you are also a pessimist, you may agree with him. Personally, I often felt annoyed and, at times, angered by the way he is selling his narrow view as a fact, while completely ignoring recent developments.

In particular, I disagree with his claim that people will always be either a 'victim' or 'victimizers'. Put another way, I think the author believes that there will always be conflict between nations as there is always going to be struggles over lands and resources. In my view, while in the times before the first world war, controlling land was the prime source of riches and power, this has substantially changed in the last century. With the world moving from an industrial age into an age of services, human labor, raw material, and geographical space is just not as important as it once was. With nations moving away from fossil fuels, conflict over energy can be expected to ease off (price parity between coal and solar is expected in 2017!). Lastly, with most countries becoming more and more democractic, the danger of one power greedy ruler starting a war are becoming less. Looking at past wars and deciding that it will always continue like this, is akin to saying that there is no world possible without slaves during the times of abolition, ignoring the fact that new technologies such as steam and gas engines can be a source of 'free labor' that replaces the ones of slaves.

The fact that Mr. Fiedman does not think change is possible is shockingly evident in Chapter 10, where he seems to be saying that there is an innately and unchangeably evil 'madness' in the Germans. In my view, this is plain racist and as such, proof in itself, that racist thoughts can also be found in people living far away from Germany ;-)

In general, Mr. Friedman disregards technological advancements such as the internet and the transformational power of software. It seems that the fact that these developments, in my view, have brought the people of the world closer together and that, maybe as a consequence of this, people seem to be adopting a more global view on things, completely escapes him.

That being said, I really enjoyed many parts of the book. I would, however, only recommend the book to people who can think for themselves and I urge fellow readers to also read other works about the future (try 'Abundance' by Peter Diamandis).

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Razor sharp insights into European politics

A mix of anecdotes and stark history lessons. Going through the individual borderlands of Europe, Friedman provides some interesting insight at every turn and twist. He makes the actions and considerations of politicians seem more rational, given the historical context and demographic they are operating in. Recommended to all european politicians.

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Most important book I've ever read.

Should be read in high school and in adult book clubs. It explains how the world got where it now is.

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excellent geopolitical summary for Europe

excellent geopolitical summary for Europe's future with a look to the past included. Several predictions are already coming to pass

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