GZERO World with Ian Bremmer
The surprising history of disaster

Predictable Disaster and the Surprising History of Shocks | Historian Niall Ferguson | GZERO World

COVID-19 was a global catastrophe that blindsided the world's wealthiest nations, and it's far from over. But as disasters go, it was hardly unprecedented. Humanity has a long history of failing to prepare for the worst, from volcanic eruptions to earthquakes to famines to shipwrecks to airplane crashes to financial depressions. But how do we get better at preventing such calamities from happening, and how many seemingly unavoidable "natural" disasters are actually caused by humans? On GZERO World, Ian Bremmer talks about all that and more with Stanford historian Niall Ferguson, who is just out with the perfect book for the topic, "Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe." Plus, a look at how one young Ugandan activist was literally cropped out of the global climate fight.
In this Quick Take, Ian Bremmer addresses the killing of Alex Pretti at a protest in Minneapolis, calling it “a tipping point” in America’s increasingly volatile politics.
Who decides the boundaries for artificial intelligence, and how do governments ensure public trust? Speaking at the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos, Arancha González Laya, Dean of the Paris School of International Affairs and former Foreign Minister of Spain, emphasized the importance of clear regulations to maintain trust in technology.
Will AI change the balance of power in the world? At the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos, Ian Bremmer addresses how artificial intelligence could redefine global politics, human behavior, and societal stability.
Ian Bremmer sits down with Finland’s President Alexander Stubb and the IMF’s Kristalina Georgieva on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum to discuss President Trump’s Greenland threats, the state of the global economy, and the future of the transatlantic relationship.