The year 2021 is a special one for EIU: it marks our 75th anniversary. In 1946 The Economist’s editor advertised the new role of director of intelligence, whose mission would be to help companies understand the complex and fractured post-war environment. The hope at the time was that after a few tumultuous years, global geopolitics would settle down and become easier for businesses to navigate. However, things turned out differently, and from small beginnings EIU went on to become the world leader for political, economic and industry forecasting. Today we have nearly 600 employees and contributors across all continents providing insights on about 200 countries. 

Over seven decades there has been no shortage of seismic events to keep our world-class experts busy, from the start of the Korean war in 1950 to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. The 21st century began with the bursting of the dot.com bubble, the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the start of the US-led war on terror. Its second decade closed with the coronavirus pandemic, punctuated in between by the global financial crisis of 2007-08 and its prolonged fallout. Looking ahead, the US-China conflict and climate change will be the defining themes of the coming decades. 

To mark 75 years of insights, our experts have looked back at our coverage to present our take on the most important events of the past two decades. The topics range from the radical polarisation of US politics to Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, Xi Jinping’s role in driving China’s rise to superpower status, the impact of the global financial and coronavirus crises in Latin America, the legacy of the Arab Spring, and reflections on the global financial crisis. These themes are varied, but our guiding principles remain the same: our clients know that they can count on our analytical excellence and editorial independence. 

True to our forecasting mission, we also present some forward-looking scenarios on events that could reshape the global geopolitical, economic and business landscape. What if China annexed Taiwan? What would be the impact of a climate change-fuelled wave of African migrants to Europe’s shores? Will the 21st century see Brazil and Africa (finally) become economic giants? We hope that you enjoy our take on some of the most momentous events of the past two decades and our future-oriented “What if?” scenarios for the next two. 

Explore all the content here.