Read all about it: Crisis in Europe

Aloha book lovers!

As the old Chinese curse goes: “May you live in interesting times …”

In recent years, we have seen the countries of Europe and its overarching body, the European Union, undergo major shifts: the Greek debt crisis, the flooding in of Syrian refugees, and most recently the United Kingdom’s unprecedented Brexit vote to leave the European Union.

While some are truly surprised by these massive changes and how they have affected things, there is one man who saw the looming future instability of the European Union: George Friedman, bestselling author of the prescient books “The Next 100 Years” and “The Next Decade”.

In his most recent paperback release, “Flashpoints: The Emerging Crisis in Europe,” Friedman gives us a fascinating and revealing look at the history of Europe and European power, how it came to be, how it extended, and why the once-most powerful and culturally influential continent in the world convulsed in two horrific wars, eventually to be relegated as a secondary player in the international arena.

From this, Friedman deftly examines the how and why the European Union was formed and explains why the long-lasting political and cultural fault lines still remain today and due to them what is likely to occur in the future.

For the first time, Friedman provides us with some of his own personal (and family) history which involves his experiences in Europe as a child. It is a revealing insight into why he has devoted his interest into understanding the world through a geopolitical lens… very fortunate for us readers!

Given what is going on, it would seem to be no better time than now to get “Flashpoints” for yourselves, to not only gain an understanding of Europe’s past, but to also glimpse what its future may be just beyond the horizon.

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Ed and Cynthia Justus are owners of The Bookstore in Hanapepe.