Ian Bremmer

Speaking topics

Presentations listed below include in-person and virtual keynotes, as well as workshops, fireside chats, and other presentation formats.

• Every Nation for Itself: Winners and Losers in a G-Zero World

  At a time when so many challenges transcend borders, the need for international leadership has never been greater. Leaders have the leverage to coordinate multinational responses to transnational problems and the wealth and power to persuade other governments to take actions they wouldn’t otherwise take. They pick up the checks that others can’t afford and provide services no one else will pay for. But in years to come, there will be no global leadership, because there is now no single country or bloc of countries with the political and economic muscle to drive an international agenda. America is struggling to pay its bills, Europe is busy trying to save the eurozone, and emerging powers are wrestling with too many complex challenges at home to accept risks and burdens abroad. A world without leaders will undermine our ability over the next decade to keep the peace in Asia and the Middle East, to grow the global economy, to reverse the impact of climate change, to feed growing populations, and to protect the most basic of all necessities – air, food, and water. Its effects will be felt in every region of the world, even in cyberspace.

  Ian Bremmer, an expert on international politics and its impact on global markets, will detail the following:

  • The impact of a world without leadership on international politics and the global economy
  • Next challenges facing the United States, Europe and China
  • Asia’s evolving balance of power
  • The future of the Middle East
  • Winners and losers in a world without leaders
  • Crisis points – from food security to cyberspace
  • The global balance of power most likely to emerge from a G-Zero world

• The End of the Free Market: Who Wins the War Between States and Corporations?

  A generation after communism’s collapse, the future of free market capitalism isn’t what it used to be. Public wealth, public investment, and public ownership have made a stunning comeback. Certain that command economies are doomed to fail but afraid that truly free markets will spin beyond their control, the political leadership in China, Russia, the Arab monarchies of the Persian Gulf and other authoritarian states have invented a new system: state capitalism. Each in their own way, they’re using markets to create wealth that can be directed toward the achievement of political goals. Governments now dominate key domestic economic sectors. The oil companies they own control three-quarters of the world’s crude oil reserves. They use state-owned companies to manipulate entire economic sectors and industries. They own enormous investment funds that have become vitally important sources of capital for Western governments and banks weakened by financial crisis. An expert on the impact of politics on market performance, Ian Bremmer illustrates the rise of state capitalism and details its long-term threat to relations among nations and the future of the global economy.

  At this presentation audiences will learn about:

  • The rise of state capitalism
  • Why it exists and how it works
  • The threat to free market capitalism

  
  Alternate option for market clients:

  The Rise of State Capitalism
  The financial crisis and global recession hastened the transition from a G7 to a G20 world, one in which developing states that don’t share US assumptions about the virtues of free market capitalism now have a seat at the international bargaining table. In fact, a generation after communism’s collapse, public wealth, public investment, and public ownership have made a stunning comeback. Certain that command economies are doomed to fail but afraid that truly free markets will spin beyond their control, the political leadership in China, Russia, the Arab monarchies of the Persian Gulf and other authoritarian states have invented a new system: state capitalism. Each in their own way, they’re using markets to create wealth that can be directed toward the achievement of political goals.

  Governments now dominate key domestic economic sectors. The oil companies they own control three-quarters of the world’s crude oil reserves. They use state-owned companies to manipulate entire economic sectors and industries. They own enormous investment funds that have become vitally important sources of capital for Western governments and banks weakened by financial crisis. The great 21st century challenge for America’s leaders will be to adapt to changing circumstances in ways that extend that indispensability. To continue to lead in a world where states are overwhelmingly focused on domestic challenges, the United States must find ways to build partnerships with like-minded, willing, and able governments. An expert on the impact of politics on market performance, Ian Bremmer illustrates the rise of state capitalism and details its long-term threat to relations among nations and the future of the global economy.

   

  Alternate option for corporate clients:

  The Next Major Global Risk: Capitalism vs ?
  The financial crisis and global recession hastened the transition from a G7 to a G20 world, and developing states that don’t share Western assumptions about the virtues of free market capitalism now have a seat at the international bargaining table. In fact, a generation after communism’s collapse, public wealth, public investment, and public ownership have made a stunning comeback. What does this trend toward state-driven capitalism mean for CEOs trying to do business around the globe?

• The Fat Tail: The Power of Political Knowledge for Strategic Investing

  The fallout from the still-unfolding global financial crisis provides several perfect examples of “fat tail” risk, those that flow from the low-probability, high-impact events that generate upheaval more often than we think. Bremmer shares with audiences how an understanding of the political dynamics generated by the financial crisis helps us forecast market risks, why politics matter more than ever for market performance, why the world’s wealthiest countries have begun to behave like emerging market states, and what all this means for investors and companies.

• Managing Risk in an Unstable World

  To navigate globalization’s choppy waters, every business leader analyzes economic risk when considering overseas investments or looking at market exposure. But do you look beyond reassuring data about per-capita income or economic growth – to assess the political risk of doing business in specific countries? If not, you may get blindsided when political forces shape markets in unexpected ways – from European accession in Turkey, social unrest in India, or protectionist legislation on China. Acclaimed political analyst and entrepreneur Ian Bremmer explains that by blending political and economic risk analysis, you make savvier investment decisions – seizing valuable opportunities around the globe while avoiding danger zones.

  At this presentation audiences will learn:

  • How to spot political risk on the horizon and balance it against economic opportunities – and what it means for your global investments
  • How to understand the opportunities, and dangers, of dramatic Chinese growth
  • What are the trends around global terror, proliferation, and shifting geopolitics, and how it impacts the global markets
  • What growing political risk means for the global economy, and where opportunities are

• The Politics of Global Energy

  Oil prices are increasingly susceptible to international politics – for both the world’s supply and demand. Ian Bremmer, founder and president of the world’s largest political risk consultancy, shares his views on what’s in store for the politics of global energy – from spiralling Chinese and Indian growth in consumption to the dangers of future oil export from the Middle East, Russia and the Caspian, and West Africa.

  At this speech audiences will learn:

  • Why international politics matters to oil investors, financial institutions, and consumers alike
  • How to assess the real threats to oil production, and discount the headlines that don’t matter
  • How a shift in global relations between the US and China will affect the global energy market

• China, India, and Beyond: The Opportunities and Pitfalls of Asian Growth

  China bestrides the world as a colossus, and business leaders can’t get enough from the promised riches of Asia. But does unprecedented growth mean that your company will benefit from it? Ian Bremmer, intellectual entrepreneur and President of Eurasia Group, explains the dangers of Asian growth for global investors seeking to build a presence in international markets; for companies seeking to sell their products there; and for the global markets more broadly.

  At this speech audiences will learn:

  • How to read the political and economic landscape in China, India, and beyond
  • How geopolitics is creating greater risks – and opportunities – for investors in Asia