Peter Zeihan
Peter Henry Zeihan is an American author and geopolitical analyst. He is the founder of the consulting firm Zeihan on Geopolitics and a former vice president at the geopolitical intelligence firm Stratfor. Zeihan has written several books, including The Accidental Superpower, The Absent Superpower, Disunited Nations, and The End of the World Is Just the Beginning.
Early life and education
Zeihan was born in 1973 and raised in Marshalltown, Iowa, as the adopted son of educators Jerald and Agnes Zeihan. He graduated from Marshalltown High School in 1992.He earned a Bachelor of Science in political science from Truman State University in 1995, followed by a postgraduate diploma in Asian studies at the University of Otago in New Zealand in 1997. Zeihan also attended the University of Kentucky's Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce.
Career
After completing his education, Zeihan worked for the American embassy in Australia and at the Center for Political and Strategic Studies, a think tank founded by Susan Eisenhower.In 2000, Zeihan joined the Austin, Texas-based geopolitical intelligence firm Stratfor as an analyst. Over 12 years, he rose to the position of vice president.
He left Stratfor in 2012 to establish Zeihan on Geopolitics, a consulting firm serving energy companies, financial institutions, business associations, agricultural organizations, universities, and government entities.
Writings
While at Stratfor, Zeihan co-authored his first book, A Crucible of Nations, with Lauren Goodrich in 2011.In 2014, he published The Accidental Superpower, which explores the influence of geography on economic, industrial, and military competitiveness. The book emphasizes the strategic importance of navigable rivers, ocean access, transportation infrastructure, and demographic trends.
Subsequent works include The Absent Superpower, Disunited Nations, and The End of the World Is Just the Beginning, each expanding on geopolitical trends, demographic shifts, and the future of globalism.
Criticism
Critics of Zeihan’s work note that he adopts a deterministic view of demographic and geopolitical trends.Money & Macro criticizes Zeihan's long-running claim, made since 2010, that China will collapse within a decade, noting that while his arguments about demographics, debt, and energy dependence highlight real challenges, many of them are overstated or selective, and the Chinese government has implemented policies to mitigate these risks.
In the 2023 update of The Accidental Superpower, Zeihan appended evaluations of his earlier predictions, acknowledging overestimates of Russia’s military strength and underestimates of Canadian national identity’s influence in Alberta.