A look at the future world order forecasts a dramatic reordering of geopolitical and economic forces, high-tech economies, and a world of privileged elites surrounded by a vast array of impoverished nomads.

The president of the new European Bank of Reconstruction and Development predicts that Europe and a Japan-led Asian trading bloc will emerge as the world's cultural and economic megapowers. Atali--who also is an advisor to France's President Mitterand--claims that America will wane in influence as third world tensions explode.