In recent columns, here and here, I have written about how looking at the world through a lens of centuries can help to clarify what is in ascendancy and what is in decline.  Is something 20^th Century or is it 21^st Century?

I recently spent five days in Dubai.  Dubai is truly a 21^st Century City.  It is a city built for and in this century.  It is based entirely on a vision of the future.  As a futurist I look into and think about the future.  I look at trends, patterns, dynamics and directional energies to …