Final Word from Thursday, October 1, 2009

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Mike Short, who left last month as CEO of Prazdroj brewery, told MFD that it's a big mistake for the CR not to have a clear vision of where it wants to head in the next 10-15 years. The same could perhaps be said of the West in general. The world is in the advanced stages of one of the biggest geopolitical shifts in the history of civilization - perhaps bigger than anything since the opening up of the Americas - but the West is still largely oblivious to what is happening. When this eastward shift began, whether after WWI, WWII, Richard Nixon's visit to China, or the fall of the Berlin wall, is debatable, as is the issue of how much longer the process will take. It's conceivable that 10-15 years is a generous estimate. We're not sure where we're going, but most of our decisions are speeding up the process instead of slowing it down. As China celebrates its 60th anniversary, it has a clearer vision of what lies ahead.[Czech Republic Plzeňský World War One Two president United States of America beer]