Thomas P.M. Barnett :: Weblog

Productive in what sense ?

You can complement your skill-set and worldview or you can contrast it but it might be hard to find somebody as stage partner who can do both at once.

Here's some names just for laughs:

Tom Friedman
Robert Kaplan
Newt Gingrich
John Robb
Ralph Peters
Alvin Toffler
Philip Bobbitt
Ray Kurzweill
Richard Posner
Bill Clinton
Howard Rheingold
John Arquilla
Al Gore
Richard Perle
John Keegan

conversation with Tom Barnett, Tom Friedman, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and General Petreus

Amory Lovins.

Get the chapter and verse on the future energy security environment and you can also try and get him to cover the sustainable development angle, including stuff like leapfrogging, and maybe cover some of the global warming associated security risks.

I'd buy tickets!

Tom Friedman
Newt Gingrich
Tony Blair
Pope Benedict XVI
Niall Ferguson
Rubert Murdoch
Hu Jintao

John Robb
Robert and/or Fred Kagan
LTC John Nagl
Niall Ferguson
Ian Bremmer
Francis Fukuyama
COL T.X. Hammes
Christopher Hitchens
COL H.R. McMaster
Bono
David Brooks
Mark Helprin
Bill Kristol
George Packer
Henry Kissinger
Bill Richardson

For purposes of contrast, how about Krauthammer, or Mearshimer?

Charlie Rose - maybe an interview format would work well?
Don Beck
Newt Gingrich

and even if it's not Charlie Rose for this, you've got to spend the hour there and become a regular; Barnett and Holbrooke, or Barnett and Friedman, for the hour, every couple of months, would be a most welcome thing.

Juan Enriquez
Niall Ferguson
John Lewis Gaddis
Henry Kissinger
Robert Kagan
Vali Nassar
John Stewart

I would add to the list:
Clyde Prestowitz
Tony Blair
J. Stapleton Roy
Christopher Hill
Robert Rubin
Robert Zoellick
Lawrence Summers
Nickolas Kristof

Bob Wright

The ideal match would have well research, strongly held beliefs on geo-strategy that directly contradict your own. As to who that person is, Keegan might be a good match.

Although, I wouldn't mind seeing a debate no geo-strategy with the Pope. :-)

For Humor: Robin Williams
For Geo Strategy (devil's advocate): Noam Chomsky
For Geo Strategy (tag team): A Clinton or maybe Obama if they aren't trying to win votes.
For Counter Point: Michael Moore (sorry coundlnt' resist the friction between logic and passionate delusion).
For a Good Thoughtful Time: John Stewart
For pointless ego wrangling: Bill O'Reilly (not that he'd do it for less than 80% of the gate)

Why do you ask? Oh yeah. It's a blog. I feel so used.

Seriously,

1) Gen. John Abizaid
2) Al Gore
3) Laurence Eagleberger
4) Warren Christopher
5) Madeline Albright

But as long as we're dreamin', how about some real statesmen (in no particular order)?

1) William E. Gladstone
2) Pericles
3) Leonid Brezhnef (a nutjob but for historical context if anything)
4) John F. Kennedy
5) Benjamin Franklin
6) Pope John Paul II
7) Nelson Mandela
8) Harry S. Trumann
9) Aristotle
10) Milton Friedman
11) Henry Kissinger (even though he is a sellout)
12) Otto Von Bismark
13) Winston Churchill

For a perfect contrast?

Pat Buchanan... In fact, I would pay to see that.

Complementary?

Tom Friedman, Gen. Petraeus, Bill Clinton,

I would add Bjorn Lomborg and, just for fun, P.J. O'Rourke.

Bjorn Lomborg.

If your not familiar with his work, you will accuse me of joking, but I think its a good call for two important reasons. Firstly, his Copenhagen Consensus is an interesting source of information and perspective for your own work, and secondly and more importantly, like yourself he is outside of the traditional liberal - conservative divide.

He also has a well written and thought out unconventional book out right now.

If you do it, you better put me on the guest list, I would love to see it.

Your Chinese counterpart, whoever he or she is.

Victor Davis Hansen
William Gibson
Bruce Schneier

I'm thinking some recent soldiers or marines from Iraq who are comfortable on stage might give your material some sense of "realness" that can get lost in a fast presentation and slide show. They can talk about the SysAdmin/Leviathon stuff first-hand. Of course, it'd have to be someone who is good at working in front of crowds too and who can be candid. But I find the best part of your books and writings is when you get into some of the stories about how you can to your views. Your experiences and conversations really tell a good "story" and help put the abstract into context.

If you wanted to go in the "other" direction, I'd like to see someone like Dennis Prager. You have a lot more in common than you think and I honestly think you'd change his view on some issues like Iran and China. But you both share a very positive view of the USA, both fell out of love with the UN, share a clear recognition of evil and, to be honest, your PNM makes a very "moral" argument about why we should seek to shrink the gap for the good of the planet. I think that Prager would be good at explaining your nuts and bolts type arguments in a larger view of moral responsibility of the USA. To quote you, if we don't show up, nobody does. He often says the same thing, but in different ways.

I'd love to see you and George Friedman of Stratfor on the same stage! It would be awesome.

If Lindsey Lohan is not available, Henry Kissinger would be a good back-up.

Ken Pollock
David Brooks
F Fukuyama
Bob Wright
Brian Eno
Paul Berman
Sean Meade
Tom Friedman
Bill Clinton
Barack Obama
Fareed Zakaria
Tony Blair
Peter Bergen
George Packer
Vali Nasr
Lawrence Wright
*Bono: forget the Red campaign; i want shrink the gap t-shirts in portuguese, russian, hindi, mandarin
*Hitchens would be better in one-hour series w/Hewitt; hey Jen, how about this january?

Not sure if my suggestions would be relevant to geo-strategy, but I will put in my two cents worth.

Steven Johnson (author of Emergence)
David Weinberger (author of Small Pieces Loosely Joined/Cluetrain Manifesto)
Glenn Reynolds

Everyone has posted some very interesting suggestions.

Mark Cuban
or
Richard Branson

Martin Wolf

Wow, those are some really great suggestions. Looks like I'm late to the party - most of mine have already been suggested:

Bill Clinton (good conversationalist with Presidential insight)
Francis Fukuyama (influential in many circles, plus carries the "legitimacy" of a neo-con who has questioned Iraq policy)
Barack Obama (a post-boomer intellectual who probably lacks much military insight)
Charlie Rose (always gets the most out of his guests)
Fareed Zakaria (good speaker with grasp of geopolitical issues)
George Soros (no, seriously)
Thomas Friedman (sometimes too anecdotal, but has unique insight)
John Robb (convo might be very focused on insurgency/resilience and not enough on development?)

Any speakers with more development-focused experience (as opposed to military thinkers like Hammes for example) - Sachs, Sen, Benjamin Friedman, etc.

Since sky is the limit, one good matchup would be the man who said this, "In the long run, we are all dead" (Keynes).

I agree with zenpundit - there's a fine line regarding contrasting and complementary opinions...there needs to be enough common ground for continuity, and enough disagreement to keep things moving along. Either way, these comments make a great reading list!

*Most* productive outcome? Easy...

Socratic dialogue unplugged: You and John, with Ethan Zuckerman.

Intuitively believing the video downloads would surpass CSPAN, Sandia, and TED.

I'd like to see a group of people who might have serious contributions to make on the subject of "shrinking the gap", such as Jeffrey Sachs, Paul Collier, George Ayittey, Joseph Stiglitz, Robert Rubin, Lawrence Summers, and throw in Clinton, Bono, Gates, and Buffett for a little star power. I'd go for substance rather than trying to get "opposing points of view" (I hate the "Crossfireization" of America). The other approach would be to have somebody who is Barnett's equivalent (grand strategist, big thinker) in the Chinese defense community (don't know who that is). I think Barnett's most important original idea is that we should be moving aggressively towards military cooperation with the Chinese, since that is the way to ensure that Globalization II (2014) doesn't end up like Globalization I (1914).

subtle question to add to Mark's 'productive in what sense?': are we trying to maximize the presentation of your vision, or something more unilateral with the guy we pick?

since i'm in the TPMB business, i'm thinking in that direction:

Amory Lovins
Ethan Zuckermann
Chris Anderson
Charlie Rose
Brian Lamb
Brad DeLong
Jon Stewart
Nickolas Kristof
Greg Jaffe
David Ignatius

(btw, if anyone has connections with him or the Daily Show, please let me know. Jenn and i would love to get Tom on there, but no luck so far)

tdaxp: the Pope would be rad

Jarrod: re: 'Sean Meade'. yes, i read every word ;-)

Not that I don’t like to see you giving your presentations but if you are going to talk about shrinking the Gap, having some people from the Gap (like Africa, Andes region of South America, etc.) and the New Core (Brazil, China, South Africa, etc.) up there with you would be nice. Kind of a “Dr. Barnett & his Gap, New Core All Stars” sort of thing. They could talk about first hand knowledge of the points you are making like foreign aid versus foreign investment, and such.

Hi,
A name no one has mentioned yet...

Raza Aslan

sue

How about Brian Lamb? He seems so well read and a man of such great insight and depth, although not given to pushing his own opinion, at least publicly. Wikipedia says he will be 66 this fall, so he might be ready to let his own light shine more brightly.

And here is another vote for David Brooks.

Warren Buffet
He is a not a polarizing figure to either the left or the right and he has invested or chosen not to invest all over the world.

Love to see you debate a real opposition:
Chalmers johnson
will hutton
noam choamsky

but there's always fluff, how about michael creighton.

regards,

People from/of the Gap.

1. Ratan Tata
2. Sergei Brin & Larry Page
4. Hu Jintao
5. Condolezza Rice
6. Hillary Clinton
7. General Petraeus
8. a randomly picked Cuban who just recently floated to Florida on a '53 Buick
9. the person who is the best software counterfeiter in China
10. the person who is the best computer hardware counterfeiter in China
11. the person who is the best prescription drug counterfeiter in China

Lexington Green wrote in:

Martin Wolf, Hernando de Soto, C.K. Prahalad, James C. Bennett, Robert Zoellick

Niall Ferguson.

I have not seen him, but I have heard him on the radio. Terrifically smart guy, very hip and not at all a stereotypical academic.

1) Richard North
2) Charlie Rose
3) Jean Grugel
4) Newt Gingrich
5) Tom Friedman

Ummm, Mr. Bill, Tom DID debate Chalmers Johnson already.

Wolfwitz would be a good choice. The guy does know a thing or two about development.

Gingrich and Hitchens would be two stimulating partners. Both knowledgeable as hell.

And what about Tony Blair? I'd pay good money for two hours of Barnett/Blair.

More specifically:

1. Muqtada al-Sadr.
2. Grand Ayatollah Ali-al Sistani.
3. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
4. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
5. Bashar al-Assad.
6. Hugo Chavez.

Others like this.

Oh, forgot Thomas Ricks in my original comment...

Jim Rogers; wears a bowtie, billionaire global investor, big in commodities and China, spends a lot of time in Singapore. His company Beeland has an office in NYC.

Want to know what's up? Follow the money.

How about some more women and Africans? (I noticed some
Indians have been mentioned...) For example,

Hanan Ashrawi
Thabo Mbeki (hmmm... there are probably better suggestions
than this...)
the guy from Dubai I think who has started a new cell phone
service in several African countries.

Just some ideas.

It's 100+ degrees, and my brain's about dead, so I'll just repeat an earlier suggestion. A debate between you and "Spengler" of the Asian Times would be interesting, in whatever format.

Niall Ferguson
Ralph Peters
Michael Mandelbaum