MegaThreats

Ten Dangerous Trends That Imperil Our Future, And How to Survive Them

By: Nouriel Roubini

Narrated by: Kamran Khan

The bestselling author of CRISIS ECONOMICS argues that we are heading toward the worst economic catastrophe of our lifetimes, unless we can defend against ten terrifying threats.

Renowned economist Nouriel Roubini was nicknamed “Dr. Doom,” until his prediction of the 2008 housing crisis and Great Recession came true--when it was too late. Now he is back with a much scarier prediction, one that we ignore at our peril. There are no fewer than ten overlapping, interconnected threats that are so serious, he calls them Megathreats. From the worst debt crisis the world has ever seen, to governments pumping out too much money, to borders that are blocked to workers and to many shipments of goods, to the rise of a new superpower competition between China and the U.S., to climate change that strikes directly at our most populated cities, we are facing not one, not two, but ten causes of disaster. There is a slight chance we can avoid them, if we come to our senses—but we must act now.

In the 1970s, the U.S. faced stagflation: high rates of inflation combined with stagnant employment and growth. Today, we are heading toward a Great Stagflation that will make the 1970s look like a walk in the park.

Critic reviews

“Roubini cuts to the real problems like a hot knife through butter, with a clarity of mind that is rare among economists. I have never seen a more lucid and nuanced account of our financial condition. Not only will the reader be better off after reading this book, but the world will be a better place when central bankers absorb its message."
—Nassim Nicholas Taleb, author of The Black Swan and Skin in the Game

“No economist is better able to curdle the reader's blood than Nouriel Roubini. What makes his views significant however is not that they are scary, but that they generally prove to be true. With this book, alas, he has surpassed even his high standards: the ten megathreats he details are as scary as they are plausible. Forewarned is forearmed. Read and pay attention."—Martin Wolf, Chief Economics Commentator, the Financial Times

“From the economics guru who predicted the 2008 crash, MegaThreats breaks down the most dangerous risks threatening global peace and prosperity in the coming decades. Nouriel offers a sobering analysis of the challenges we’ll face to avert the worst, as each crisis reinforces the others and hinders our ability to respond to all of them. The choice is clear: either we overcome deep-rooted political and geopolitical barriers to mount an adequate collective response (my preference!), or we sleepwalk into a new era of chaos and upheaval. A timely and compelling read, MegaThreats is a wake-up call for humanity.”
—Ian Bremmer, President of Eurasia Group and author of The Power of Crisis

“A tour de force drawing on economics, finance, history, international relations, and Nouriel Roubini’s own rich personal experiences. This clever and timely analysis does more than render accessible complex and crucial concepts that are both in our present and future. It also powerfully illustrates how the combination of flawed human judgment, faulty policies, and a collective disregard of natural constraints now confronts us with perils whose reach goes well beyond just our generation. Ignore this book at your own peril.”—Mohamed A. El-Erian, author of New York Times bestsellers The Only Game in Town and When Markets Collide

“Calm, clear-headed and possibly prescient, MegaThreats combines important historical analogies, broad-ranging discussion of current trends, and insightful economic analysis to produce a bracing assessment of long-term risks to the global economy. Dark, perhaps, but brilliant, for sure.”
—Kenneth Rogoff, co-author of This Time is Different

Low expectations surpassed.

Pleasantly surprised. Not a fan of Roubini, but I enjoyed the historic tour. And I was surprised that I agreed with the conclusion.

No mention to the possibility of the collapse of the monetary system.

This is just another book that tells the obvious, the world is on the wrong path. It doesn't matter how bad things get, the author doesn't have the balls to even mention the possibility of the collapse of the monetary system. We can die in a thousand different ways but let's not talk about the end of the monetary system, that's a bit too much.

Dare to read something challenging

I’ve often believed that when I pick up a book to read it, its important that it be something that challenges me and something that stands to teach me. Anyone can write a feel good book about positive futures but Nouriel has written one about very real problems that we as the human race will face if we continue to ignore exploring possible solutions. As I write this review the US economy is heading toward a prolonged bear market and in many finance groups I follow the narrative is usually “Where’s the bottom?” With very little discussion on how we got there or how to prevent it in the future.

I’ll be reading this one again, but with a notebook by my side.

Quite a dark prediction

While is can see what the Author is saying and even agree, this book drones on with end of the world predictions, it’s a little too dark for me.

if you haven't built your Armageddon bunker yet...

The professor absolutely lives up to his moniker with this book. Very dark, but hard to argue with so many of the points he raises. Global warming driven mass migrations. currency realignments and worst of all, likelihood of global or civil wars Don't listen to this book if you are living on a high floor with a balcony.