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In the 26th John Bonython lecture, Niall Ferguson, one of the world’s leading geo-economic thinkers and best-selling author of The Ascent of Money and The War of the World, discussed the complexity behind great national powers and whether the rise and fall of empires is cyclical or arrhythmic.
Perhaps best known for writing The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World, Ferguson offered an alternative analysis to commonly accepted history. With the rise of China as a viable superpower, a Keynesian president at the helm of United States, India now the world’s largest democracy, and rampant global economic instability, Ferguson’s address offered a timely review of primacy, leadership, and the complex systems that make up civilisations. In his exclusive talk for the Centre, Ferguson examined whether the rise and fall of empires is cyclical or arrhythmic in nature, and to what extent arrogant – or naïve – economic profligacy contributes to their downfall.
