About
From a feature interview in the leading Finnish national magazine Helsingin Sanomat
“Yes, yes, I know he is one of Them. But they often know things that we don’t – particularly about what we are up to”
welcome to the SYSTEMS TRANSFORMATION WORK of Nafeez ahmed…
Dr Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed is a systems theorist, investigative journalist, strategic advisor and bestselling author whose work has consistently anticipated some of the most consequential events of the 21st century. He warned of the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, foresaw the 2008 global banking collapse, anticipated the rise of far-right authoritarianism across the West fifteen years in advance, and predicted the 2018 stock market dive. In 2010, he forecast the total transformation of the global economy and industrial civilisation this century — most likely before mid-century — driven by the inevitable demise of fossil fuels and the emergence of a post-carbon future.
Ahmed is Director of Investigations & Strategic Impact at Byline Times, Britain’s premiere investigative journalism newspaper and media platform. He is also founding Director of the Foundation for Civilisation Renewal, a systems transformation research action lab which publishes the Age of Transformation planetary intelligence newsletter. Previously he was Director of Research & Communications and Head of the Futures Lab at Unitas Global Advisory, a boutique strategic communications and public affairs agency in London. Prior to joining Unitas, he was Research Editor and Director of Global Research Communications at technology forecasting think-tank RethinkX, where he led on projects creating roadmaps for net zero through both technology disruptions and key societal choices.
Ahmed is also founder and chief writer of Perennial, an Islamic theological website providing scriptural resources which combat regressive and extremist interpretations of Islam.
Ahmed’s journalism has broken stories for The Guardian, VICE, The Independent, The Atlantic, The Times and other international outlets. His investigations have exposed extremist networks linking Silicon Valley financiers to far-right groups; revealed covert connections between Western governments and Islamist organisations; uncovered systemic failures in climate, energy and national security policy; and forced accountability at the highest levels of government. His reporting has triggered resignations, been cited in both Houses of Parliament and the US Congress, and influenced official inquiries into terrorism and security on both sides of the Atlantic.
As a full member of the Club of Rome, a Commissioner on its Earth4All initiative and Distinguished Fellow at the Schumacher Institute for Sustainable Systems, Ahmed is a sought after authority on global risk and systemic transformation. His peer-reviewed Planetary Phase Shift framework integrates Earth system science, complexity theory, economics, history and political analysis to explain how converging crises across energy, climate, technology and democracy are symptoms of an unprecedented civilisational transition. His applied foresight work with RethinkX and others has demonstrated how rapidly accelerating clean-energy disruptions can unleash an era of super-abundant, near-zero-cost power, transforming economies and societies worldwide.
Ahmed has advised governments, multilateral agencies and international institutions, including the UK Ministry of Defence’s Defence Academy, the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, the UK Foreign Office, the US State Department, UN agencies, and governments in the Global South from Malaysia to The Gambia. He is an Expert Advisor to the UN COP30 Global Citizens Assembly funded by the Brazilian Government. Previously he was Systems Change Advisor to the Global Citizens Assembly representing the global population at the United Nations COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, and was a senior delegate to the United Nations COP28 climate summit in Dubai where he worked closely with a range of governments in the Global South.
His books include Alt Reich: The Network War to Destroy the West from Within (Byline Books, 2025), a definitive exposé of the resurgence of fascism and eugenics in transatlantic politics; and earlier works such as Failing States, Collapsing Systems (Springer, 2017) and A User’s Guide to the Crisis of Civilization (Pluto, 2010), which inspired the award-winning documentary film The Crisis of Civilization.
Across journalism, research and public engagement, Ahmed’s work blends investigative rigour with systems foresight to expose root causes, challenge entrenched power, and open new pathways to renewal in an age of transformation.
Ahmed has twice been featured in the Evening Standard's 'Top 1,000' list of most influential people in London, in 2014 and 2015.