Superb, thought-provoking new essay on near-future politics/economics from an SF perspective, by one of the best current SF writers. And read the comments, too — they're all good, including Stross's responses.
"We are living in interesting times; in fact, they're so interesting that it is not currently possible to write near-future SF ... it can take three years for a writer's idea to find its way onto the bookshelves. Pity the authors responsible for the rash of cold war novels that came out in 1990-91".
"Put yourself in the shoes of an SF author trying to construct an accurate (or at least believable) scenario for the USA in 2019. Imagine you are constructing your future-USA in 2006, then again in 2007, and finally now, with talk of $700Bn bailouts and nationalization of banks in the background. Each of those projections is going to come out looking different."
