About the Author

Born in Oxfordshire to a Welsh mother, Richard O'Brien was an Oxford Blues captain and represented Wales twice. He has been senior economist with Rothschild Intercontinental Bank, Chief Economist of American Express Bank, Consultant to the World Bank, served on the council at Chatham House and written long term scenarios for the UK Government. He is the author of the bestselling The End of Geography: Global Financial Integration (1991) and has edited or coedited more than a dozen other volumes on international finance and economics. He was a founder member of the SDP and has released six albums as a singer-songwriter.