The End of the World Is Just the Beginning

Mapping the Collapse of Globalization

By: Peter Zeihan

Narrated by: Peter Zeihan

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.

In The End of the World is Just the Beginning, author and geopolitical strategist Peter Zeihan maps out the next world: a world where countries or regions will have no choice but to make their own goods, grow their own food, secure their own energy, fight their own battles, and do it all with populations that are both shrinking and aging.

The list of countries that make it all work is smaller than you think. Which means everything about our interconnected world - from how we manufacture products, to how we grow food, to how we keep the lights on, to how we shuttle stuff about, to how we pay for it all - is about to change.

A world ending. A world beginning. Zeihan brings readers along for an illuminating (and a bit terrifying) ride packed with foresight, wit, and his trademark irreverence.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2022 Peter Zeihan (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers

Required Reading!!!!!!

The most eye-opening book you will ever read about how life as we know it is changing forever. You will likely be motivated to make a lot of changes to your stock portfolio, if you have one.

Loved it

It's so nice having Peter read this book himself. Was the best performance we could have

I only thought I was marginally well read. Nope

Never have I read (or listened) to a book other than the Bible and received so much usable information.
Highly recommended.

Universal and Particular

I just finished listening to Zeihan's book. What a great experience it has been to patiently marinate in his ideas.

Zeihan does a great job detailing the universal implications of the current global circumstances and his vision for the future is certainly pointing North.

However, Zeihan either doesn't see or chose not to discuss (just think about a 35 hour long book!) how the particular circumstances of developing reality are always played out as a moral dilema resolved in mass by the integration of individual decisions exercised at the local level. Geography, resources, and markets are certainly universal metrics descriptive of potential opportunity, but for what purpose opportunity is put to work defines the health and success of a Nation. Purpose is a deeply moral question to which Science and Technology have no answers.

Great demographic and geography-based analysis.

I liked the excellent data and historically-based analysis. I loved the somewhat otherwise censored take on current-future effects of post coldwar policies and practices. Reading this together with Nicholas as Taleb’s “Anti-Fragile” says that fragility is clear. But specific predictions of time and details of “new” (to modern history) fallouts is uncertain to an extreme degree. Taleb would agree with Zeihan’s assessment and scoff at the detailed predictions. I would agree; as black swans are by definition unpredictable. But the fragility and end-of-an-era timeframe are undeniable. Highly recommended.

Excellent

This book will make you rethink everything . Terrifying and comforting at the same time. 10/10

It is best to know what happened.

There is an old saying, 2% of the people make things happen, 8% of the people watch things happen and the other 90% wonder what the heck happened. Zeihan has been doing an excellent job of informing us of what has happened and what to expect. I have found him to be right on with most, if not all of his projections. I don’t think any of his projections are magic but rather based on good sound data based on geography and demographics. Add in Human nature. The sort of things most people could do if you only had the time and background knowledge.

Entertainingly delivered and frighteningly absorbed

Timely? Yes. Prescient? Unsure. But definitely worthy of discussion. (And he didn’t even hit hard on the potential for mass war…and the devastating consequences of cyber warfare in our digital era!)

Not Optimistic but Well Worth Exploring

I've enjoyed Peter's other books and given recent events, I was looking forward to this one. Given recent events, his world view is looking more and more likely.

Good macro view; Zeihan is way too pedantic and pompous

DON’T listen to him read his own book; too annoying. Also, he’s a climate change alarmist and not credible. In fact, his overall hyperbole discredits his broad and interesting research