Search
AI-powered search, human-powered content.
scroll to top arrow or icon

Ian Bremmer: Russia, China and other factors are driving geopolitical recession

In a Global Stage livestream discussion from the 79th UN General Assembly, Ian Bremmer explained the concept of a "geopolitical recession," a term he uses to describe the growing disconnect between global power dynamics and existing international frameworks.

Bremmer identified three main factors driving this shift: First, Russia, which remains at odds with the core principles of the UN, was not fully integrated into the West after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Second, while China was successfully brought into global structures, it has maintained its authoritarian, state-capitalist model, causing discomfort, particularly in the West. Lastly, citizens in advanced democracies, especially the US, feel their leaders have neglected their needs, leading to widespread dissatisfaction.


These factors, Bremmer argues, are fueling global instability and dissatisfaction, contributing to what he calls a "geopolitical recession."

Bremmer spoke during GZERO’s Global Stage livestream, “Live from the United Nations: Securing our Digital Future,” an event produced in partnership between the Complex Risk Analytics Fund, or CRAF’d, and GZERO Media’s Global Stage series, sponsored by Microsoft.

Watch more from Global Stage.

More from Global Stage

How can AI enhance human progress?

As artificial intelligence becomes more powerful and more deeply embedded in everyday life, how can we ensure it remains a tool for human progress, and under human control?

How AI could accelerate global development

As countries work to meet development goals amid funding constraints, AI is emerging as a potential tool to accelerate progress and expand opportunity. Robert Opp of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Justin Spelhaug of Microsoft Elevate discuss how AI can support development and humanitarian efforts around the world.

How AI safety must evolve as agentic AI advances

As agentic AI reshapes how the technology is built and deployed, Partnership on AI CEO Rebecca Finlay explains why global cooperation on safety can't wait.

Preparing for El Niño: How better forecasts and AI can help

On the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly, GZERO Media’s Tony Maciulis sits down with Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), to discuss the developing El Niño, the growing importance of early-warning systems, and how artificial intelligence is changing weather forecasting.

How AI is changing the cybersecurity battlefield

On the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly, GZERO Media’s Tony Maciulis sits down with Hayete Gallot, Executive Vice President of Security at Microsoft, to discuss how artificial intelligence is transforming cybersecurity, and why traditional defenses must evolve to keep pace.

Why the world is more optimistic about AI than the US

As AI adoption expands around the world, a new Gallup-Microsoft survey reveals a striking divide in how people feel about the technology.