Superpowered PUSH

The standoff between the U.S. and Russia over where to build a missile defense system in Europe brings up a lot of memories of the Cold War, when the two global superpowers jockeyed for influence over the rest of the world. "Superpower" is the theme of a conference that starts this weekend at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis.

St. Paul, Minn. — Speakers at the 2007 PUSH conference will discuss the idea of "superpower" not just as it applies to global politics, but when it comes to energy, population and technology. It is a huge topic, but the common thread is "change." Just as the dynamics of the Cold War changed to U.S. dominance, change is inevitable in nearly all aspects of our daily lives.

Cecily Sommers is a change expert. She founded the PUSH Institute in Minneapolis. It's dedicated to the studying how and why the world is changing and forecasting what changes will happen next.

Cecily Sommers spoke with All Things Considered Host Tom Crann about the upcoming conference.

Broadcast Dates

• All Things Considered, 06/08/2007, 5:45 p.m.