The Accidental Superpower
Ten Years On
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4.5 • 197 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
With a new "10 years later" epilogue for every chapter, comes an eye-opening assessment of American power and deglobalization in the bestselling tradition of The World is Flat and The Next 100 Years. Near the end of the Second World War, the United States made a bold strategic gambit that rewired the international system. Empires were abolished and replaced by a global arrangement enforced by the U.S. Navy. With all the world's oceans safe for the first time in history, markets and resources were made available for everyone. Enemies became partners. We think of this system as normal - it is not. We live in an artificial world on borrowed time. In The Accidental Superpower, international strategist Peter Zeihan examines how the hard rules of geography are eroding the American commitment to free trade; how much of the planet is aging into a mass retirement that will enervate markets and capital supplies; and how, against all odds, it is the ever-ravenous American economy that - alone among the developed nations - is rapidly approaching energy independence. Combined, these factors are doing nothing less than overturning the global system and ushering in a new (dis)order. For most, that is a disaster-in-waiting, but not for the Americans. The shale revolution allows Americans to sidestep an increasingly dangerous energy market. Only the United States boasts a youth population large enough to escape the sucking maw of global aging. Most important, geography will matter more than ever in a de-globalizing world, and America's geography is simply sublime.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
More by luck than by design, America will prosper in the coming decades while the world goes to hell, according to this eye-opening, contrarian survey of geopolitics. Geopolitical analyst Zeihan bases his predictions on "accidental" factors of the U.S.'s terrain (navigable rivers and rich farmland), resources (abundant shale gas and oil), demography (a relatively young, vigorous population), location (oceans that guard against invasion), and economics (vast consumer markets and cheap capital). The rest of the globe, he argues, will suffer from aging populations, dwindling resources, and the lack of a stable modern-day equivalent to the post-WWII Bretton Woods regime, which fostered free trade, protected sea lanes, and served the world's export market; the collapse of the international order will include the collapse of China, the breakup of Canada, and war in Europe. Zeihan's freewheeling, very readable analyses draw on historical examples, from ancient Egypt to modern Denmark, and a wealth of statistics, packaged with interesting maps and graphs. His generalizations can seem oversimplified, and his prognostications eccentric, such as the prediction that a "wave of young Uzbeks will wash asunder all foolish enough to stand in their way." Still, Zeihan's provocative take on how land, climate, energy, and population determine wealth and power makes for a stimulating challenge to conventional wisdom.
Customer Reviews
The Accidental Superpower
Fascinating book. A couple of thoughts though. The author does an amazing job analyzing all the geopolitical trends in the world today. They are thoroughly flushed out and compelling to think about. However, I think he puts too much emphasis on how much of the future is determined. Although these trends may be large they are by no means unavoidable. I disagree with him in that he thinks the only future for the world is this one. Yet the trends he discusses are real and very much warrant debate on how they will play out. The highlight of the book is that the author brings the discussion to the table.
Silver Pony tailed Jesus!
One of the most engaging reads I have read in years
Incredible book
This is an eye opening book that is unlike anything I have ever read. It was a pleasure to read and hear a perspective that seems to be so well thought out and outside the box, yet with likely predictions.