The bestselling author of ''The Next 100 Years ''sharpens his focus to the next ten years, specifically the political shifts that will take place, the decisions that will be made, the consequences of those decisions, and how the American president will acknowledge and manage the fact that the United States has become an empire. In the long view, history is seen as a series of events--but the course of those events is determined by individuals and their actions. During the next ten years, individual leaders will face significant transitions for their nations: the United States' relationships with Iran and Israel will be undergoing changes, China will likely confront a major crisis, and the wars in the Islamic world will subside. Unexpected energy and technology developments will emerge, and labor shortages will begin to matter more than financial crises. Distinguished geopolitical forecaster George Friedman''''analyzes these events from the perspectives of the men and women leading these global changes, focusing in particular on''''the American president, who will require extraordinary skills to shepherd the United States through this transitional period. ''The Next Decade'' is a provocative and fascinating look at the conflicts and opportunities that lie ahead.