# Quote — George Friedman, The Next 100 Years

> The problem for China is political. China is held together by money, not ideology. When there is an economic downturn and the money stops rolling in, not only will the banking system spasm, but the entire fabric of Chinese society will shudder. Loyalty in China is either bought or coerced. Without available money, only coercion remains. Business slowdowns can generally lead to instability because they lead to business failure and unemployment. In a country where poverty is endemic and unemployment widespread, the added pressure of an economic downturn will result in political instability.

- Author: [George Friedman](https://www.leafyquotes.com/george-friedman.md)
- Book: [The Next 100 Years](https://www.leafyquotes.com/george-friedman/the-next-100-years.md)
- Page: 96
- Source: [Wikiquote](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_Friedman#The_Next_100_Years:_A_Forecast_for_the_21st_Century_(2009)) ([CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/))
- Quote page: https://www.leafyquotes.com/george-friedman/the-next-100-years/the-problem-for

## More from this book

> In the United States, minority populations were never an indigestible mass—with the major exceptions of the one ethnic group that did not come here voluntarily (African Americans) and those who were here when Europeans arrived (American Indians). The rest all came, clustered and dispersed, and added new cultural layers to the general society. This has always been the strength of the United States. In much of Europe, for example, Muslims have retained religious and national identities distinct from the general population, and the general population has given them little encouragement to blend. The strength of their own culture has therefore been overwhelming.

p. 224 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/george-friedman/the-next-100-years/in-the-united.md)

> Japan must import all of its major minerals, from oil to aluminum. Without those imports-particularly oil-Japan stops being an industrial power in a matter of months.

p. 67 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/george-friedman/the-next-100-years/japan-must-import.md)

> If human beings can simply decide on what they want to do and then do it, then forecasting is impossible. Free will is beyond forecasting. But what is most interesting about humans is how unfree they are. It is possible for people today to have ten children, but hardly anyone does. We are deeply constrained in what we do by the time and place in which we live.

p. 252 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/george-friedman/the-next-100-years/if-human-beings.md)