OPEC's Role

Description:

Over the next 50 years, Brazil, Russia, India and China—the BRICs economies—could become a much larger force in the world economy. Goldman Sachs has predicted that China will become the largest economy in 2041, closely followed by the US and India

Enablers:

- Telecommunication - Time Zones - Physical boundaries: seas - Religion - Drinking water scarcity - Shrinking oil reserves - Continental languages (e.g. North America English, Europe English, South America Spanish, Arabic) - Continental unions: African Union, European Union, Unites States,..

Inhibitors:

- Global Industry - World Wide Web - Nationalism - Global commuters - WTO - NATO

Paradigms:

The continents have historically grown into a strong homogeneity of race, religion and economic standards. The combination of an ongoing globalism, backed by 24hr economies, internet and relatively cheap flights and on the other hand an increasing religious and cultural split will drive the continentalism.

Continentalism is enforced by the practical travel distances within continents (e.g. 4 hr flights), as well as physical infrastructures (e.g. electricity networks, roads, railways). The oceans will continue to be a "mental" border between the continents, where the nations within the continent will blend into one.

Web Resources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continentalism

Enablers:

1. Stable Macro Environment

2. Strong and Stable political institutions

3. Openess to trade and foreign direct investments

4. High levels of education