by Peter Zeihan
First published 2017
Peter Zeihan examines how America's energy independence will reshape global politics. The geopolitical strategist argues that the American shale revolution severs the United States from international entanglements while other powers struggle with instability. As terrorism spreads from the Middle East into Europe and nations like Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, China, and Japan compete aggressively, financial breakdowns gut growth across Asia and Europe. Zeihan contends that America alone possesses geographic wealth, demographic strength, and energy security. This energy independence will re-industrialize the United States and accelerate the breakdown of the global order, triggering military conflicts that will define the next twenty years. The central paradox emerges as the world desperately needs American engagement precisely when the United States chooses absence. Building on his previous work "The Accidental Superpower," Zeihan maps out scenarios including Russian aggression and a Ukrainian invasion, showing how an energy-independent America sidesteps the oil dependency plaguing Europe and Asia.
Genres: political-science, non-fiction, 21st-century, current-affairs, academic, american-history
Vibes: thought-provoking
Tropes: global-perspective
Setting: America, Asia, Europe, Middle East, Russia, United States
Period: 21st Century
422 pages · Hardcover · Zeihan on Geopolitics