A Blueprint for a Post-Pandemic World

There is a particular tribe of people who seem to live in a different world from all the rest of us. They call themselves “futurists”, and they form a kind of community among themselves; people like my friends Gerd Leonhard in Zurich, Matthias Horx in Vienna, Horst Opaschowski or Peter Wippermann in Hamburg. Rohit Talwar is a rather recent member of this exclusive club, and his insights into key issues concerning our common future are refreshing, to say the least.

In his book, Aftershocks and Opportunities, Rohit is joined by Steve Wells, an expert on the new models of leadership, collaboration, and innovation, and others to explore the forces, ideas, and opportunities shaping the post-pandemic world. 2019 seems for most of us like some period in the far distant past, so how are we supposed to get back to normal – or will there be a “new normal” we all will have to adapt to?

In addition, Rohit has collected statements from 37 analysts, strategists and journalists to answer an essentially very simple question: “Where do we go from here?” Together, this impressive group of experts cover a lot of ground, from how social distancing will influence cultures in the post-pandemic world, to the reinvention of travel – both for business and pleasure. They explore how the pandemic has accelerated the acceptance of virtual presence and distance learning and what that means for the future of post-pan higher education. Possibly the most far-reaching changes, the authors attempt to re-imagine the world order post covid as the US, China, and Europe strive to reshape geopolitics as we know it.

This is not an easy read, and it is not calculated to set our minds at rest. But from the wealth of insights and ideas gathered here, a blueprint emerges for ways in which, if we work together, a new world could emerge from the horror of the Great Pandemic that is worth living in.