The World in 2050: Four Forces Shaping Civilization's Northern Future

摘要

Laurence Smith has written an important book that should be read by more than just people interested in northern and Arctic countries. At different times in history, successive countries and regions dominated the northern part of the world while others receded into the background. According to Smith, in the middle of this century the Northern Rim countries (NORCs) will dominate. He loosely defines these as areas, including both land and water, that lie north of 45 degrees north latitude and are all or part of the eight countries: the United States, Canada, Iceland, Greenland (currently partially under Danish sovereignty), Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. Smith takes the reader on what he calls a thought experiment, but his thought experiment is grounded in careful research and extrapolation of current trends based on solid models.