Future Brief: Confidence and Optimism for the Future
It won't be easy but it will be wonderful
The future has never looked brighter.
A new global order is taking shape, one built on balance, cooperation, and shared power. But before that light breaks through, the United States will walk through its darkest years.
The United States is a dictatorship, and it will get much worse in the US before it gets better. But globally, the power vacuum America has left is creating space for a better, more balanced, more cooperative, more aligned, more stable, better world.
What’s Happening
US Dictatorship Established: It is still in its early days, but the United States has shifted into an authoritarian system. Courts rule in line with the Republican agenda or are ignored entirely. The US military now operates on US soil with the power to detain and arrest citizens. Those detained or arrested are without the legal protections they would receive if taken into custody by law enforcement. Federal (ICE) agents arrest people without cause or due process who then disappear. Government institutions are run by loyalists who follow political orders, not legal obligations. This is a textbook example of Hornby’s Power-Seeker archetype in its most corrosive form: centralized authority, dominance over partnership, and the rejection of opposing ideas.
Loss of Global Power: America’s implosion has stripped it of global leadership. The nation that once dictated the terms of trade, security, and diplomacy around the world is now routinely ignored.
Power Vacuum Filled by China, EU, and BRICS: China now advances its long-term global infrastructure and trade networks without US interference. The European Union, freed from dependence on US defense and markets, is emerging as a second superpower. BRICS nations expand influence through development aid, new financial institutions, and alternative trade systems. China’s reflection of Hornby’s sage and guardian archetypes prioritizes planning, stability, and order; the EU’s mediator archetype balances diverse interests into coherent policy; BRICS functions as a coalition of mixed archetypes, unified by the shared goal of sovereignty
A Multi-Polar World of Choice: The new global order is no longer a forced choice as it once was between the United States and the Soviet Union, or even among China, the EU, and BRICS. Nations can work with all three: Chinese infrastructure, BRICS investment, and European regulatory standards. These three power blocs will compete, of course, but they will also cooperate. All three come from a cultural perspective that prefers mutual benefit over domination. The new new world order will give countries the freedom to build partnerships based on shared benefits rather than ideological allegiance.
Why It Matters
For the first time in modern history, global power is shared rather than fought over.
China, the European Union, and BRICS each bring different strengths, and they’re increasingly willing to work together. A nation might build a high-speed rail network with Chinese engineering, finance its ports through BRICS development banks, and align its exports with EU regulations to access the world’s largest single market. These partnerships are not exclusive; they’re complimentary.
This shift replaces coercion with cooperation. Instead of being forced to choose a side, countries can choose relationships that work best for them, selling grain to Europe, importing machinery from China, and securing low-interest loans from BRICS all at once. Energy grids, transportation corridors, and digital infrastructure can be designed with input from multiple partners, creating systems that are more resilient and less politically vulnerable.
The result is a world where prosperity comes from collaboration, not forced-choice allegiance. Smaller nations gain leverage by working with multiple powers, and global stability improves when no single superpower dictates the rules. This multi-polar order encourages competition on quality and service, not on political loyalty, laying the groundwork for a more balanced, stable, and mutually beneficial world.
What’s the Future?
Prolonged US Instability
The authoritarian structure in the US will coalesce before failing. Civil liberties will become more restricted, and political opposition will face systemic suppression. At the same time, economic volatility will increase as investor confidence erodes and trade partners diversify away from US markets.
A generational political reset is probable, but not before sustained institutional and social damage forces a national reckoning.
China as the Primary Global Builder
China is on track to be the world’s leading infrastructure provider. The Belt and Road Initiative will likely extend to more than 150 nations, linking continents with high-speed rail lines, modernized ports, and digital trade platforms. By creating transportation and energy corridors that bypass US-controlled systems, Beijing will position itself as a stable, long-term development partner for nations seeking both progress and stability.
The European Union as the Global Regulator
The European Union will increasingly define the rules of global commerce and governance. It will set binding standards for artificial intelligence, climate policy, data protection, and international trade compliance, effectively forcing other nations to adapt to its frameworks to access the EU market. Militarily, it will become independent. The EU will continue balancing diverse interests into unified policy, demonstrating the strength of collective government.
BRICS as the Sovereignty Alliance
BRICS will expand its membership and influence. The bloc’s New Development Bank and Contingent Reserve Arrangement will grow as credible alternatives to the IMF and World Bank, providing financing without political conditions. BRICS’ mixed archetype approach will keep it flexible, allowing members to maintain sovereignty and cooperate in trade, infrastructure, and finance. This adaptability will help BRICS attract a diverse range of partners across the Global South.
For countries in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia, this shift marks the start of a new era of self-determination. No longer tied to the demands of a single power, they can set trade terms, negotiate financing, and define development goals according to their priorities. This control will strengthen local industries, expand market access, and create infrastructure built to endure. As cooperation replaces coercion, these nations will gain lasting influence in global negotiations, shaping policies, standards, and agreements that reflect their interests and opening the door to a more inclusive, prosperous, and stable world for all.
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