By Peter Zeihan
If you have any interest in what’s really happening in our crazy world, Peter Zeihan is an amazing source of unbiased insight as to what is going on.
We’ve got some more interview style questions for you today! We’ll be focusing on China, specifically looking at the potential for Chinese energy independence and if any countries surrounding China should be worried about an invasion/resource grab.
While it may appear that the Chinese have access to significant shale oil deposits, the reality of their energy outlook isn’t so pretty. Most of the Chinese lake bed shales are waxy and produce only a fraction of the energy that American deposits produce. In addition, the location of these deposits just so happens to be in a historically secessionist region, so that helps limit development.
On the Chinese expansion front, the prospects aren’t looking too hot. With limited military capabilities and geographical constraints, expansion towards resource-rich neighbors isn’t feasible. My bigger concern is what happens after Chinese demand for these resources falls off and the countries sending this stuff to China lose that stream of income…
Peter Zeihan is a world expert in geopolitics: the study of how place impacts financial, economic, cultural, political, and military developments.
He presents customized executive briefings to a wide array of audiences including financial professionals, Fortune 500 firms, energy investors, and a mix of industrial, power, agricultural, and consulting associations and corporations.
Mr. Zeihan has been featured in, and cited by, numerous newspapers and broadcasts including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, AP, Bloomberg, CNN, ABC, The New York Times, Fox News, and MarketWatch.
If you’re looking for something to ponder over a glass (or two or three) of nice whiskey, you may want to save this newsletter and video for then…
Now that you’ve returned with your spirit of choice, we’ll be looking at the history of arms control treaties and today’s lack thereof.
Towards the end of the Soviet period, arms control treaties with the US peaked under Gorbachev, but each US President has handled these differently. Treaties fell off under Clinton, had a bit of a resurgence under George W. Bush, and have since fallen off. Today, the post-Cold War arms treaties have all but vanished (at least in practice).
Now, onto the really stressful stuff – cue the 2nd glass of whiskey. Without these treaties, several concerns arise…can Russia maintain its nuclear arsenal? What happens if things go nuclear? What if they launch a nuclear weapon and it fails?
There are too many moral and strategic dilemmas to even think through, but we should probably have some sort of roadmap to guide us through these scenarios. Unfortunately, policymakers have no established procedures for specific situations like a failed nuclear strike attempt, which is quite a conundrum.
Peter Zeihan is a world expert in geopolitics: the study of how place impacts financial, economic, cultural, political, and military developments.
He presents customized executive briefings to a wide array of audiences including financial professionals, Fortune 500 firms, energy investors, and a mix of industrial, power, agricultural, and consulting associations and corporations.
Mr. Zeihan has been featured in, and cited by, numerous newspapers and broadcasts including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, AP, Bloomberg, CNN, ABC, The New York Times, Fox News, and MarketWatch.
