A Book by Peter Zeihan

I don’t normally read books on economics, largely because a lot of them are so politically-charged that one would merely need to turn on cable TV news to get the same sort of hyperbolic one-sided rantings you’d read. I’m sure there are already hundreds of books on how President Joseph R. Biden is bringing about the apocalypse, just like the hundreds of books on former Presidents Trump or Obama lining many a Salvation Army Thrift Store. It’s all ephemeral nonsense that becomes outdated almost instantaneously. I stepped out of my blanket ban to read The End of the World Is Just the Beginning – Mapping the Collapse of Globalization by Peter Zeihan at the behest of a co-worker of mine, and I was surprised at how much I liked it. Zeihan gives thorough analysis on global trends and makes some pretty sound predictions, all without going buck-wild on political finger pointing.

“2019 was the last great year for the world economy. For generations, everything has been getting faster, better, and cheaper. Finally, we reached the point that almost anything you could ever want could be sent to your home within days – even hours – of when you decided you wanted it. America made that happen, but now America has lost interest in keeping it going. Globe-spanning supply chains are only possible with the protection of the U.S. Navy. The American dollar underpins internationalized energy and financial markets. Complex, innovative industries were created to satisfy American consumers. American security policy forced warring nations to lay down their arms. Billions of people have been fed and educated as the American-led trade system spread across the globe. All of this was artificial. All this was temporary. All this is ending.”

One could argue that Zeihan’s book is VERY United States-centric, seeing that the overall thesis involves us teetering closer and closer to some kind of world-wide economic collapse (largely due to collapsing birthrates and economic inequality) that will retract globalization and render economies such as China, that depend on it, an utter husk of their former selves. According to Zeihan, the only area prepared to face such a threat is The United States, Canada, and Mexico. One can already see some of this happening if they keep an eye on world news. In the aftermath of the Global Covid-19 Pandemic and a general wariness of pretty much every BRICS economic block country due to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, The West is increasingly moving manufacturing out of China to avoid more the dreaded “supply chain issues” that plagued 2020 and 2021. Mexico appears to be on the precipice of an economic boom as this continues to unfold. It’s crazy how on that proverbial nose this book is at the moment.

Zeihan lays out every chapter to highlight every major industry we rely on today, and what could happen to it in the future if trends keep heading towards a collapse. He jumps back and forth between chapters that read like a history book about globalization and an economics book. This is somehow done, largely due to his wit and humor, without the book becoming dry and academic. I will say that his predictions seem like they are a tad over-the-top, bordering on some sort of Mad Max-styled Post-Apocalyptic hellscape for any place that doesn’t get their crap together immediately. Personally, I have a feeling that organizations like the IMF and various treaty organizations will try to keep everything together the best they can, but who knows. These same organizations have allowed Haiti to become a lawless quagmire, so maybe he’s onto something.

Overall, The End of the World Is Just the Beginning – Mapping the Collapse of Globalization by Peter Zeihan was better than I expected it to be, and is sitting towards the top of my somewhat meager 2023 reading list (in comparison to last year). It never becomes a “scare-mongery” call to action like many books in this genre, and actually gives ideas hon how to advert the crisis unlike pretty much every book by a grifter trying to sell fear. If Peter Zeihan is correct, the world is about to become a rather scary place, but I feel confident that The United States can weather the storm after reading this.