So, I was reading this article (I think it has already been linked to by other people on here - since Alan Watt linked to it a couple of days ago - but as far as I know, this is the original article and contains some more stuff that the link Alan Watt put up did not have ) - and it made mention of this consortium called Global Business Network.
The English Ideology and WIRED MagazinePart Three Of Three
Techno-Utopianism: The Final Imperial Solution
by Mark Stahlman November 22nd, 1996
http://web.archive.org/web/20011226171744/www.rewired.com/96/Fall/1122.html
This snippet in particular piqued my curiosity
No less chilling is the scenarios planning exercise that WIRED's wizards-behind-the-curtain perform on their multi-national clients. From General Motors to AT&T, the Global Business Network (GBN) charges hefty sums to show the yellow-brick-road towards "ByteCity" to strategic planners and top corporate brass. In one recent and rare public discussion of the results, GM's top planning team defined the three "alternative futures" which emerged after years of GBN counseling. The first is just like our world and, so by definition, is not very interesting. The second is an eco-fascist regime in which car designs are completely "Green" and the companies can only follow orders. The third is the fun one, however. This is the world in which armed gangs roam the streets and surface travel is a series of car chases. This scenario has already been anticipated with a Cadillac that includes armored protection and a "panic" button installed in the middle of the dashboard. The car has a satellite tracking system built in and it can call the local authorities (presumably your multi-national's private swat-team) and get help when you get trapped by the natives.
So naturally, I looked into Global Business Network. This consortium is kind of like Wells 'The Samurai' corporate overlord board - every bigwig company you can imagine that is into some type of big industry is among its members.
Global Business Networkhttp://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Global_Business_NetworkFunding / Members - CorporationsI don't have time to list all of the companies, so let's just list for the sake of interest some of the key companies that consider themselves to be members - these companies also provide for the organization's funding:
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Global_Business_Network#Funding- AT&T
- Bechtel
- Booz Allen & Hamilton
- Coca-Cola Company
- Dow Chemical
- DuPont
- EDS (Electronic Data Systems)
- Fannie Mae
- Freddie Mac
- ExxonMobil
- General Electric
- Heineken (My note: The Dutch beer-brewer)
- Hewlett Packard/HP
- IBM (My note: Big surprise, huh?)
- Intel
- L'Oreal
- Lucent Corporation
- Microsoft
- Monsanto
- Procter & Gamble
- Reuters
- Sandia National Laboratories
- Shell Oil/Dutch Royal Shell
- Toyota
- Sun Microsystems (My note: See, I don't want to hear anymore crap from some techies that Sun Microsystems was 'once' good prior to being taken over by the evil 'Oracle' - to hell with that bullshit - they were ALWAYS part of the hive mind - stop sucking up to controlled opposition is my message to these people - forget about the Sparc processors and all that shit and realize these guys didn't give a shit about you, the individual, or any semblance of human dignity - same as all the other corporate technocrats)
- Xerox
The list is far longer than this, but you get the drill - any corporation worth its salt is a member and/or provides funding for it.
Stewart Brand, Whole Earth Catalog, Wired Magazine, Global Business NetworkThis ties back into Stewart Brand - the guy behind the Whole Earth Catalog, the founding of Wired Magazine, and the main progenitor of this entire techno-utopia 'scientific dictatorship' that the Unabomber railed against. Coincidentally, he was also a co-founder of Global Business Network.
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Stewart_BrandBrand is a co-founder of the Global Business Network (GBN) (1988) [4]; the The Long Now Foundation (1995) [5], "whose core project is the construction of a 10,000 year clock called The Clock of the Long Now"; the ALL Species Foundation (2001) [6], "to find and document every life form on Earth" [7]; and the Long Bets Foundation (2001), "an arena for competitive, accountable predictions" and "to foster better long-term thinking." [8][9]
Anyway, here comes the big one - this is a report produced by the Rockefeller Foundation in cooperation with Global Business Network in May 2010 - and it shows four possible future scenarios that the world might be headed into. Let's discuss this, shall we.
http://www.gbn.com/consulting/article_details.php?id=101&breadcrumb=consultinghttp://www.gbn.com/articles/pdfs/GBN&Rockefeller%20scenarios.technology&development.pdfScenarios for the Future of Technology and International DevelopmentThis report was produced by
The Rockefeller Foundation
and Global Business Network.
May 2010
Let's see what Peter Schwartz, President of Global Business Network, has to say about these 'scenarios' firsthand:
Scenario planning is a powerful tool precisely because the future is unpredictable and shaped by many interacting variables. Scenarios enable us to think creatively and rigorously about the different ways these forces may interact, while forcing us to challenge our own assumptions about what we believe or hope the future will be. Scenarios embrace and weave together multiple perspectives and provide an ongoing framework for spotting and making sense of important changes as they emerge. Perhaps most importantly, scenarios give us a new, shared language that deepens our conversations about the future and how we can help to shape it.
The Rockefeller Foundation has already used this project as an opportunity to clarify and advance the relationship between technology and development. Through interviews and the scenario workshops, they have engaged a diverse set of people - from different geographies, disciplines, and sectors - to identify the key forces driving change, to explore the most critical uncertainties, and to develop challenging yet plausible scenarios and implications.
Population growthAs we all know, this is a recurring theme and something Rockefeller and his cadre of ghouls likes to whine and fearmonger about. Here it is again:
For example, it is a near geopolitical certainty that - with the rise of China, India, and other nations - a multi-polar global system is emerging. One demographic certainty is that global population growth will continue and will put pressure on energy, food, and water resources - especially in the developing world. Another related certainty: that the world will strive to source more of its energy from renewable resources and may succeed, but there will likely still be a significant level of global interdependence on energy.
Now we get onto the 'fun stuff' - the 'matrix' as they call it - four possible scenarios that are in the cards - 'Lock Step', 'Clever Together', 'Hack Attack', and 'Smart Scramble'.
Copied-pasted verbatim from PDF:
LOCK STEP - A world of tighter top-down government control and more authoritarian leadership, with limited innovation and growing citizen pushback.
HACK ATTACK - An economically unstable and shock-prone world in which governments weaken, criminals thrive, and dangerous innovations emerge.
CLEVER TOGETHER - A world in which highly coordinated and successful strategies emerge for addressing both urgent and entrenched world issues (My note: This is the 'greenie' sustainable crap scenario - is a bit low on surprises and overall cataclysmic fear events, except for the ominous parting statement that goes something like this - 'the population is still growing exponentially - this is 'unsustainable' - something needs to be done)
SMART SCRAMBLE - An economically depressed world in which individuals and communities develop localized, makeshift solutions to a growing set of problems.
Here is how they preface all of this stuff:
Please consider names, dates, and other such specifics in each scenario as proxies for types of events, not as necessary conditions for any particular scenario to unfold (My note: Proxies for 'types of events'?? HMMMM - false flag terror and effects-based operations (EBO) comes to mind)
We now invite you to immerse yourself in each future world and consider four different visions for the evolution of technology and international development to 2030. (My note: Yeah, enjoy yourself alright. Funny, BTW, this date '2030' - the predictive programming exercise masquerading as a videogame 'Deus Ex: Human Revolution' also seems to 'predict' these marauding gangs, clashes with police and stuff by the year 2027 - hmmm - willing to bet they are tied into Global Business Network also and need to make the 'future scenario' a self-fulfilling prophecy? But more on that later)
LOCK STEPA world of tighter top-down government control and more authoritarian leadership, with limited innovation and growing citizen pushback
The killer 2012 pandemic - killing millionsMy note:
BTW, so nice also to see guys like Proctor & Gamble and the like sitting in on the board of this organization - the Global Business Network - hmmmmmm - they don't hide this stuff very well now do they? Man, I'm telling you, the social sciences - psychology, behaviorism and the like - have really done one big mindjob on us all - we got their freaking number yet we're supposed to refrain from stating the obvious.
In 2012, the pandemic that the world had been anticipating for years finally hit. Unlike 2009's H1N1, this new influenza strain - originating from wild geese - was extremely virulent and deadly. Even the most pandemic-prepared nations were quickly overwhelmed when the virus streaked around the world, infecting nearly 20 percent of the global population and killing 8 million in just seven months, the majority of them healthy young adults. The pandemic also had a deadly effect on economies: international mobility of both people and goods screeched to a halt, debilitating industries like tourism and breaking global supply chains. Even locally, normally bustling shops and office buildings sat empty for months, devoid of both employees and customers.
The pandemic blanketed the planet - though disproportionate numbers died in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Central America, where the virus spread like wildfire in the absence of official containment protocols. But even in developed countries, containment was a challenge. The United States's initial policy of 'strongly discouraging' citizens from flying proved deadly in its leniency, accelerating the spread of the virus not just within the U.S. but across borders. However, a few countries did fare better - China in particular. The Chinese government's quick imposition and enforcement of mandatory quarantine for all citizens, as well as its instant and near-hermetic sealing off of all borders, saved millions of lives, stopping the spread of the virus far earlier than in other countries and enabling a swifter post- pandemic recovery. (My note: See how this 'future scenario' tacitly implies - without saying it - that China was able to stave off disaster because of their population policies and so on and their strict top-down authoritarian style of control, so the West had better adopt this too?)
Ushering in all sorts of control and surveillance measures during the mass pandemicChina's government was not the only one that took extreme measures to protect its citizens from risk and exposure. During the pandemic, national leaders around the world flexed their authority and imposed airtight rules and restrictions, from the mandatory wearing of face masks to body-temperature checks at the entries to communal spaces like train stations and supermarkets. Even after the pandemic faded, this more authoritarian control and oversight of citizens and their activities stuck and even intensified. In order to protect themselves from the spread of increasingly global problems - from pandemics and transnational terrorism to environmental crises and rising poverty - leaders around the world took a firmer grip on power.
At first, the notion of a more controlled world gained wide acceptance and approval. Citizens willingly gave up some of their sovereignty - and their privacy - to more paternalistic states in exchange for greater safety and stability. Citizens were more tolerant, and even eager, for top-down direction and oversight, and national leaders had more latitude to impose order in the ways they saw fit. In developed countries, this heightened oversight took many forms: biometric IDs for all citizens, for example, and tighter regulation of key industries whose stability was deemed vital to national interests. In many developed countries, enforced cooperation with a suite of new regulations and agreements slowly but steadily restored both order and, importantly, economic growth (My note: How about that eh? They're going to use the pretext of a mass-scale pandemic that will kill millions of people to usher in all these forms of control and even more overt surveillance. Amazing - and this is a report straight by the Rockefeller Foundation and an institution almost every bigwig company is a part of).
Control of science and business by big governmentMeanwhile, in the developed world, the presence of so many top-down rules and norms greatly inhibited entrepreneurial activity. Scientists and innovators were often told by governments what research lines to pursue and were guided mostly toward projects that would make money (e.g., market-driven product development) or were 'sure bets' (e.g., fundamental research), leaving more risky or innovative research areas largely untapped. (My note: Actually, this has already been the case for a long time - science exists to fuel war, and the military controls nearly all laboratories and universities in the US. What else is new?
The backlash - the riots - by 2020 - right on cue with the Strategic Trends/Deus Ex agendaBy 2025, people seemed to be growing weary of so much top-down control and letting leaders and authorities make choices for them.
Wherever national interests clashed with individual interests, there was conflict. Sporadic pushback became increasingly organized and coordinated, as disaffected youth and people who had seen their status and opportunities slip away - largely in developing countries - incited civil unrest (my note: I especially like this part - 'especially in developing countries. It implies people will be hit hardest economically and status-wise in the 'developed world'). In 2026, protestors in Nigeria brought down the government, fed up with the entrenched cronyism and corruption. Even those who liked the greater stability and predictability of this world began to grow uncomfortable and constrained by so many tight rules and by the strictness of national boundaries. The feeling lingered that sooner or later, something would inevitably upset the neat order that the world's governments had worked so hard to establish.
Technology trends and applications we might see:* Scanners using advanced functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology become the norm at airports and other public areas to detect abnormal behavior that may indicate “antisocial intent.”
* Tele-presence technologies respond to the demand for less expensive, lower-bandwidth, sophisticated communications systems for populations whose travel is restricted. (My note: See? Travel will be for the 'elite' only)
* Driven by protectionism and national security concerns, nations create their own independent, regionally defined IT networks, mimicking China’s firewalls. Governments have varying degrees of success in policing internet traffic, but these efforts nevertheless fracture the “World Wide” Web.
CLEVER TOGETHERA world in which highly coordinated and successful strategies emerge for addressing both urgent and entrenched worldwide issues
We'll skip 'Clever Together' for the most part - it's basic 'green eco-fascism' propaganda, sustainability crap, and framing this all as if it will benefit the people - with some 'necessary' austerity added in the mix that is glossed over. There is one 'natural disaster' that serves as the instigating event for more climate change legislation.
In 2014, the Hudson River overflowed into New York City during a storm surge, turning the World Trade Center site into a three-foot-deep lake. The image of motorboats navigating through lower Manhattan jarred the world’s most powerful nations into realizing that climate change was not just a developing-world problem. That same year, new measurements showing that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels were climbing precipitously created new urgency and pressure for governments (really, for everyone) to do something fast.
Food shortages by 2027 - rethink needed for 'smart growth' - ie 'depopulationOver the course of two decades, enormous strides were made to make the world less wasteful, more efficient, and more inclusive. But the world was far from perfect. There were still failed states and places with few resources. Moreover, such rapid progress had created new problems. Rising consumption standards unexpectedly ushered in a new set of pressures: the improved food distribution system, for example, generated a food production crisis due to greater demand. Indeed, demand for everything was growing exponentially. By 2028, despite ongoing efforts to guide 'smart growth,' it was becoming clear that the world could not support such rapid growth forever.
Technology trends and applications we might see:* The cost of capturing data through nanosensors and smart networks falls precipitously. In many developing countries, this leads to a proliferation of new and useful services, including “sousveillance” mechanisms that improve governance and enable more efficient use of government resources. (My note: I think 'sousveillance' is their term for 'natural computing' - ie everything will be like Avatar - everything has a unique GUID (Globally Unique Identifier), all hooked up to the Internet).
* Advances in low-cost mind-controlled prosthetics aid the 80 percent of global amputees who live in developing countries.
HACK ATTACKAn economically unstable and shock-prone world in which governments weaken, criminals thrive, and dangerous innovations emerge2012 to 2020 - the 'Doom Decade'Devastating shocks like September 11, the Southeast Asian tsunami of 2004, and the 2010 Haiti earthquake had certainly primed the world for sudden disasters. But no one was prepared for a world in which large-scale catastrophes would occur with such breathtaking frequency. The years 2010 to 2020 were dubbed the 'doom decade' for good reason: the 2012 Olympic bombing, which killed 13,000, was followed closely by an earthquake in Indonesia killing 40,000, a tsunami that almost wiped out Nicaragua, and the onset of the West China Famine, caused by a once-in-a-millennium drought linked to climate change.
Humanitarian Relief - Brokeback economy - ChaosNot surprisingly, this opening series of deadly asynchronous catastrophes (there were more) (My note: There were 'more'? Do tell, Rockefeller Foundation)put enormous pressure on an already overstressed global economy that had entered the decade still in recession. Massive humanitarian relief efforts cost vast sums of money, but the primary sources - from aid agencies to developed-world governments - had run out of funds to offer. Most nation-states could no longer afford their locked-in costs, let alone respond to increased citizen demands for more security, more healthcare coverage, more social programs and services, and more infrastructure repair. In 2014, when mudslides in Lima buried thousands, only minimal help trickled in, prompting the Economist headline: 'Is the Planet Finally Bankrupt?'
These dire circumstances forced tough tradeoffs. In 2015, the U.S. reallocated a large share of its defense spending to domestic concerns, pulling out of Afghanistan - where the resurgent Taliban seized power once again. In Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa, more and more nation- states lost control of their public finances, along with the capacity to help their citizens and retain stability and order. Resource scarcities and trade disputes, together with severe economic and climate stresses, pushed many alliances and partnerships to the breaking point; they also sparked proxy wars and low-level conflict in resource-rich parts of the developing world. Nations raised trade barriers in order to protect their domestic sectors against imports and - in the face of global food and resource shortages - to reduce exports of agricultural produce and other commodities. By 2016, the global coordination and interconnectedness that had marked the post-Berlin Wall world was tenuous at best.[/size]
Reverse engineering of vaccines leading to decline in public trust in vaccine useCriminal networks also grew highly skilled at counterfeiting licit goods through reverse engineering. Many of these 'rip-offs' and copycats were of poor quality or downright dangerous. In the context of weak health systems, corruption, and inattention to standards - either within countries or from global bodies like the World Health Organization - tainted vaccines entered the public health systems of several African countries. In 2021, 600 children in Cote d'Ivoire died from a bogus Hepatitis B vaccine, which paled in comparison to the scandal sparked by mass deaths from a tainted anti-malarial drug years later. The deaths and resulting scandals sharply affected public confidence in vaccine delivery; parents not just in Africa but elsewhere began to avoid vaccinating their children, and it wasn't long before infant and child mortality rose to levels not seen since the 1970s.
Cybercrime, intellectual copyright, security screenings heightenedTechnology hackers were also hard at work. Internet scams and pyramid schemes plagued inboxes. Meanwhile, more sophisticated hackers attempted to take down corporations, government systems, and banks via phishing scams and database information heists, and their many successes generated billions of dollars in losses. Desperate to protect themselves and their intellectual property, the few multinationals still thriving enacted strong, increasingly complex defensive measures. Patent applications skyrocketed and patent thickets proliferated, as companies fought to claim and control even the tiniest innovations. Security measures and screenings tightened.
High-walled fortresses for the elite; divide between have/have-nots growing wider than everBut despite such efforts, the global have/have-not gap grew wider than ever. The very rich still had the financial means to protect themselves; gated communities sprung up from New York to Lagos, providing safe havens surrounded by slums. In 2025, it was de rigueur to build not a house but a high-walled fortress, guarded by armed personnel. The wealthy also capitalized on the loose regulatory environment to experiment with advanced medical treatments and other under-the-radar activities.
Mad Max / Road Warrior scenarioThose who couldn't buy their way out of chaos - which was most people - retreated to whatever 'safety' they could find. With opportunity frozen and global mobility at a near standstill - no place wanted more people, especially more poor people - it was often a retreat to the familiar: family ties, religious beliefs, or even national allegiance. Trust was afforded to those who guaranteed safety and survival - whether it was a warlord, an evangelical preacher, or a mother. In some places, the collapse of state capacity led to a resurgence of feudalism. In other areas, people managed to create more resilient communities operating as isolated micro versions of formerly large-scale systems. The weakening of national governments also enabled grassroots movements to form and grow, creating rays of hope amid the bleakness.
No difference anymore between 'developed' and 'developing' nationsBy 2030, the distinction between 'developed' and 'developing' nations no longer seemed particularly descriptive or relevant. '
It's a nice future these freaks have in store for us, isn't it? All cute and loving stuff....
Technology trends and applications we might see* Echoing the rise of synthetic chemicals in the nineteenth century, synthetic biology, often state-funded, is used to “grow” resources and foodstuffs that have become scarce.
* New threats like weaponized biological pathogens and destructive botnets dominate public attention, but enduring technologies, like the AK-47, also remain weapons of choice for global guerrillas.
* The internet is overrun with spam and security threats and becomes strongly associated with illicit activity — especially on “dark webs” where no government can monitor, identify, or restrict activities.
* Identity-verification technologies become a staple of daily life, with some hitches — a database of retina recordings stolen by hackers in 2017 is used to create numerous false identities still “at large” in the mid-2020s.
* With the cost of cosmetic surgery dropping, procedures like the lunchtime facelift become routine among emerging middle classes.
SMART SCRAMBLEAn economically depressed world in which individuals and communities develop localized, makeshift solutions to a growing set of problems
Will cover this perhaps later.
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