Mahdi Elmandjra

Mahdi Elmandjra (1933–2014) completed studies in economics and political science at Cornell University and earned his doctorate at the London School of Economics. A towering figure in international diplomacy, he served as Director-General of the Moroccan Radiodiffusion Télévision and Assistant Director-General of UNESCO in Paris.

Elected President of the World Future Studies Federation (WFSF), Elmandjra pioneered modern futures studies, co-authoring the Club of Rome report No Limits to Learning in 1979. In his prophetic 1991 book The First Cultural World War (Première Guerre Civilisationnelle), he predicted that post-Cold War global conflicts would be fought along civilizational and cultural fault lines, passionately defending Third World dignity, scientific innovation, and human rights.