The Peter Zeihan Podcast Series

I may have ditched the "howdys" and "y'alls" for the high mountains of Colorado, but Austin remains part of one of the fastest-growing economic and urban zones in the western hemisphere. Austin falls right in the middle of the Texas Triangle - a zone comprised of San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/austins-role-in-the-texas-triangle

Due to the war, Ukrainian agricultural exports were reduced to a fraction of their pre-war numbers. The grain deal brokered by the UN was a glimmer of hope that perhaps exports wouldn't entirely fall off the map...until now. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/russia-targets-the-ukraine-grain-deal

Despite some food scares coming out of the former Soviet space, Mother Nature helped 2022 crop production look pretty solid in most of the great agriculture basins of the world. However, this could be the world's last food-secure year for quite a while. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/agricultural-disruptions-in-argentina-and-ukraine

If you've read my latest book, The End of the World Is Just the Beginning , you know what question keeps me up at night: how long will we be able to feed the world's population? With threats to food security increasing daily, China is a scary example of how quickly this situation could go from critical to catastrophic. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/famine-the-ultimate-country-killer

A world caught in deep demographic decline, faced with the loss of consumption and the complications that come with all that...can automation help pull us out of this nose dive? Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/will-automation-save-the-world

There are a few reasons the cartels love their cocaine, mainly because it's easy to smuggle and cheap to make. But what happens when you sell it? You're left with a boatload of "dirty cash" you can't do anything with. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/cartels-part-3-the-north-american-drug-war

No, we're not headed for another financial crisis...although, to those with more than 250k in one of the three failing banks, it may seem like we are. Silicon Valley Bank is the largest of the three, but it's still only the 16th largest in the nation. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/the-financial-crisis-of-2023

To my fellow nerds reading along...this is your trigger warning...today we're talking about BAD DATA. Sorry for the dramatics, but I'm sure many of you share my frustration when you can't find the correct numbers for that forecast you're working on or, even worse, the data you used in your model is falsified. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/trusting-the-numbers-in-a-deglobalized-world

Flashback to the 80s with me for a moment...we can leave out the big hair and leg warmers...but let's talk drugs. Most of the cartel activity came from one place, Colombia. If you've ever seen Miami Vice, you get the idea. But once the US caught onto the cartels' "distribution strategy," new ways of getting "product" into the US had to be created. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/cartels...

The Iranians have stumbled upon what every Green dreams of...a massive store of lithium ore. If the numbers prove true, it would be the 2nd largest deposit ever discovered. But is it too good to be true? Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/iran-discovers-a-huge-deposit-of-lithium

On March 7th, two of the four US citizens kidnapped shortly after crossing the border into Mexico were found dead. This raises several questions, but perhaps the most significant is how this will change the United States' policy on Mexican cartels. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/cartels-part-1-americans-caught-in-the-crossfire

With the potential for the Americans to get caught up in simaltaneous wars with the Russians and Chinese, do I think the US can handle it? The short answer is that the US will be fine... Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/can-the-us-military-fight-russia-china

The Russians are taking a page from the Iranians by using gold to avoid the sanctions imposed on the Euro and USD. But before we look at how the Europeans are trying to disrupt their gold usage, we must see why gold makes sense for Russia. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/interfering-with-the-russian-gold-trade

In early 2020, reports of a virus sweeping across the globe hit the headlines. But where did it come from? How did it start? This week's news is that the Department of Energy released a low-confidence statement that COVID originated from a lab leak within the Chinese System. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/covid-what-really-happened-in-wuhan

Today we're talking about another region of the world competing for the title of "worst demographics" - and that, of course, is none other than Northeast Asia. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/demographics-part-7-the-northeast-asian-crash

Over the past few years, every aspect of life has been trapped in a constant state of flux...thanks COVID. Unfortunately, the economy's lack of stability forced inflation to skyrocket to 9%. The effect was devastating. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/inflation-the-gift-that-keeps-on-taking

When I get the question - "Is India the next China?" - to the surprise of many, I respond with a resounding NO! And the Indians should be extremely happy about that. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/is-india-the-next-china

Today we're diving into some operational updates from the Ukraine War. First and foremost, daytime temps this winter have rarely dropped below freezing; when they do, it has not been for long enough periods for the ground to freeze. So that means local forces will be rolling around in the pig-sty for at least a few more months. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/the-ukraine-war-operational...

Most of us have come to expect that anytime Putin gives a speech, nothing good will come out of it...and his one-year war anniversary address to parliament was riddled with bad news. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/putin-announces-withdrawal-from-start-treaty

Senator Lindsey Graham captured the essence of what today's video is all about - "If you jump on the Putin train now, you're dumber than dirt." Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/us-policy-russia-gets-blacklisted

There are very few instances when a prisoner would refuse a chance to get out...one of those being an offer to join the Wagner Group. If you're not familiar with the Wagner Group, they're the militant group that commits war crimes on behalf of the Russian government. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/the-wagner-group-russias-flunkies

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell wants to shrink the balance sheet to zero over the next few years. And while this may be good for the economy and the US overall, not everyone will like the outcome...especially our vest-wearing friends down on Wall Street. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/fed-shrinking-balance-sheet

Moldova is one of those places that most people couldn't find on a map, but what it lacks in size, it makes up for in strategic significance. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/next-on-the-chopping-block-moldova

The big news from the weekend is that Russia announced a plan to cut 500,000 b/d (barrels per day) of oil production. This accounts for about .5% of global supply and roughly 10% of Russian oil exports. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/how-stable-is-the-russian-oil-industry

Unfortunately for the Chinese, their balloon didn't make it in time for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade...however, it's made a much bigger splash than the rest of this year's balloons. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/its-a-chinese-spy-balloon