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The End of the World Is Just the Beginning
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Listen in 21 min.
Learn the key ideas of the book by Peter Zeihan

The End of the World Is Just the Beginning

The collapse of globalisation and the geopolitics of the future

Our interconnected, globalised world is governed by a capitalistic worldview, and teeters on a very delicate balance, which has already been severely compromised. The end of the world as we know it is near, and will mark the dawn of an entirely new chapter in history. With the keen eye of a geopolitical analyst, Peter Zeihan examines the changes that have led to the creation of our society, and offers insight into potential future scenarios, in which the old world order will be replaced by new influences and powerful international relations. All this will hinge on geographical location, finance, and the availability of energy resources.

The End of the World Is Just the Beginning
Read in 17 min.
Listen in 21 min.
IDEA CHIAVE 1/14

A fast, cheap, and globalised world is disappearing before our very eyes

Advances during the 20th century, and the first two decades of the 2000s, have resulted in a fast, cheap, and efficient world. Transport, agriculture, food, and technological devices have progressed significantly, while famines and wars have decreased in most of the world due to Western influence. All this has led to the belief that we are currently living through a perfect moment in history. After the Second World War, America steered the world towards the transformation into what we know today, and took on the role of protector of global security. That balance, however, is now extremely fragile, as capitalism and globalisation are gradually giving way to other systems, new powers are emerging, and trade, investment, and consumption are declining. This is already happening on many different levels throughout the world, and will lead to a radically new way of life for us all, which will be slower and will provide fewer resources. This process will obviously be challenging, and it will take us a long time to adapt.

Peter Zeihan analyses how six different areas will be affected (transport, finance, energy, raw materials, industrial production, and agriculture), and investigates the possible outcomes and relationships that will likely determine our future. The end of the world as we know it is only the beginning of something much bigger, which as yet, is still extremely unfamiliar to us.

  

The key ideas of "The End of the World Is Just the Beginning"

01.
A fast, cheap, and globalised world is disappearing before our very eyes
02.
The first, great revolution: sedentary cultivation and agriculture
03.
From the Industrial Revolution to America’s role as the protector of world peace
04.
The transport revolution drew new geographical maps
05.
Finance, the evolution of money, and the post-1945 dollarisation
06.
In the future, there will be more inflation, disinflation, and deflation
07.
Energy is an important geopolitical factor, and influences relations between states
08.
Not everyone in the world has access to raw materials
09.
The two sides of the manufacturing industry in Asia: specialisation and excellence, and cheap labour
10.
Industrial production in Europe and the US, and how they differ in terms of technological and manufacturing quality
11.
Predicting the future: the end of Asia’s industry, the break-up of Europe, and the age of North America
12.
Agriculture, climate crisis, and deglobalisation: famine and the end of exports
13.
Quotes
14.
Take-home message
 
 
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