About Stratfor

Our History

In 1996, a small group of political scientists and entrepreneurs decided to move their project, The Center for Geopolitical Studies at Louisiana State University, into the private sector. They traded Baton Rouge for Austin, Texas, an emerging center for innovation, and formed Stratfor around the idea that geopolitical analysis and accurate forecasting of global trends would be valuable to individuals and organizations seeking clarity and informed insight in today’s increasingly complicated international environment.

Teamwork

Stratfor's strength is its people. The ability to work together in a complex environment, to analyze, refine and distribute critical global insights, requires coordination and collaboration at all levels. Individuals and teams must remain agile, yet be able to rapidly cohere around critical projects and objectives. Stratfor employees are fast learners, open and receptive to new ideas and concepts, and passionate about their work. Training, coaching and mentoring are crucial to Stratfor's success and employees seek to inspire and challenge each other on a consistent basis.

Respect

When we talk about respect, we don't simply mean for each other, though that is obviously essential. We maintain a deep respect for our subscribers, customers and partners and seek to exceed — rather than meet — their expectations. We also have a deep respect for critical thinking and the new ideas and concepts generated by robust analytic discourse. Learning how to give and receive constructive feedback is a crucial component of being at Stratfor, as is the ability to achieve perspective and see others' points of view.

Accountability

Everyone at Stratfor is accountable for their activity, output and conduct. Given the fast-moving and ever-changing nature of world events, it is essential for team members to be proactive and forward-thinking. Complacency is the adversary of innovation and every individual at Stratfor is expected to take the initiative and pursue inventive solutions. When we set ourselves a goal, we always follow through, knowing that the easiest path to success is very rarely the correct one.

Communication

It is a commonplace human error to assume that just because something is known to one person, it is known to all. The ability to accurately and rapidly transmit information is a hallmark of what we do. We harness a legion of tools and techniques to help us communicate effectively within the organization and, more importantly, outwardly to the very people, organizations, and entities that rely on our analysis. To communicate well is to be open and receptive, and to trust the intentions of others, without barriers or boundaries.

Excellence

The pursuit of excellence underpins everything Stratfor does. We rigorously interrogate information and seek analytically unassailable outcomes. At every level, all staff members are encouraged to challenge convention and think competitively to achieve exceptional results. We are thought-leaders. We are as comfortable responding quickly and precisely to breaking events as we are crafting 100-page reports. Operating at a time in history when hyperbole has become the norm and basic facts are contested, we prize our reputation for thoroughness, dependability and unprejudiced work.