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.