OPINION / EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — After 9/11, the Directorate of Intelligence (DI) at CIA created a ‘Red Cell’ that was given the mission of truly thinking outside the box. It was staffed by a handful of the DI’s best analysts who were tasked to go beyond any reporting and think through hypothetical situations. The product was shared with the President and others, not as predictions, but as a way to stimulate their thinking about possible future developments. They were well received.
This is a Red Cell-like product. The situation: it is 2041 and China is now the pre-eminent global power having eclipsed the United States, and Beijing is busily re-ordering the international “rules of the game” established after WWII, to suit its needs.
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