Ian Bremmer

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, keynote speaker 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.

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. In this speech, political risk expert Ian 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.

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.

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 spiraling Chinese and Indian growth in consumption to the dangers of future oil export from the Middle East, Russia and the Caspian, and West Africa.

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? Political speaker 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.

America's global power was unchallenged in the immediate aftermath of the Cold War, but today international terrorism, nuclear proliferation, the rise of China, and an increasingly globalized world all pose threats to America's continued leadership. Eurasia Group President Ian Bremmer, founder of the world's largest political risk consultancy, discusses America's national interests, its foreign policy, and the potential for a shift to a multipolar world. The implications for world politics – and the global markets – are critical.