The Peter Zeihan Podcast Series

Today, we're looking at some of the recent developments and shifting dynamics in the South Caucasus. The assault on Armenian-controlled Nagorno-Karabakh appears to be a tidy victory for Azerbaijan, but there's more at play here.Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/armenia-vs-azerbaijan-unpacking-the-nagorno-karabakh-conflict

Is the hydrogen economy really the future? Or Is it all a farce? I don't want to get too far ahead of myself, but it's somewhere in between...Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/ask-peter-is-hydrogen-the-future-of-energy

My walk along the railroad tracks inspired some pondering on why rail gets such a bad rap. Yeah, I know it's not as fast as planes OR as versatile as vehicles OR as cheap as water...but that doesn't mean there's no place for it.Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/transport-the-economics-and-politics-of-railroads

Well, my attempt at prepping a video this morning and getting ahead of a brewing war between Armenia and Azerbaijan has failed. Hostilities broke out within minutes of me finishing the recording, but here's what's what...Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/war-breaks-out-between-armenia-and-azerbaijan

It's time to come out from under your rock and face the music - China is collapsing. If that comes as a shock to you, watch this video to get up to speed.Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/dont-be-surprised-by-chinas-collapse

In case you need something to stress about today, we'll be looking at the history of arms control treaties and today's lack thereof.Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/what-happened-to-the-arms-control-treaties

Putin and Kim Jong-un finally had their little tea party at the Cosmodrome out in the far east of Russia. Besides boosting each other's egos and gossiping a bit, it looks like the main discussions revolved around North Korea providing military assistance to Russia in the form of artillery shells.Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/north-korea-to-provide-russia-with-military-aid

If your kids need poster boards for an upcoming school project, you may want to visit the supply store before the autoworkers hit the picket lines. With a strike looming, let's break down the economic and political consequences.Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/autoworkers-strike-the-unions-rising-influence-in-america

The Chinese telecom firm Huawei (the same firm that was caught modifying equipment on behalf of the Chinese government) has released a new phone with a seven-nanometer chip.Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/why-huaweis-7nm-chip-isnt-a-big-chinese-breakthrough

As we continue down the path of deglobalization, the US has checked most of the boxes needed to thrive in a disconnected world. Between shifting supply chains and moving manufacturing closer to home, there is still one box that the US hasn't checked off - processing.Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/processing-the-greatest-threat-to-us-economic-security

Senator Tommy Tuberville has placed a unilateral hold on nominations and confirmations of military officials because he doesn't like the Biden administration's current policy of allowing officers to travel for abortion services.Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/the-greatest-threat-to-american-national-security

Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, has seen the ongoing engagement and security guarantee that the US has with Japan, and he wants a similar deal for Saudi Arabia.Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/saudi-arabia-and-israel-want-a-us-security-deal

The Ukraine War has negatively impacted almost every area of life, but perhaps there's a silver lining beneath all the global disruptions and adverse effects...It may sound like a stretch, but this war may have helped to prevent a financial crisis in the US.Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/why-im-not-worried-about-the-banks-yet

With China facing economic slowdown, trade wars, and a slew of other things, an intervention (aka the G20 Summit) is exactly what Xi needs right now.Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/xi-ditches-the-g20-summit

All this talk of little green men has both disturbed and intrigued my inner nerd. While I don't know if aliens have actually visited us, talking about the possible tech being used is a fun little distraction for all of us.Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/astropolitics-how-are-the-aliens-getting-here

The US military has had recruitment issues for a while, and the next generation reaching the recruitment age (aka those who hate any and all things social) won't be making it any easier. But this isn't just a US military issue; this is the leading edge of a recruiting crisis for everyone.Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/the-recruiting-crisis

The super moon (or blue moon or whatever it was) didn't have just the animals stirring last night...and since I couldn't sleep, I figured we should talk about Ukraine's recent drone attack and its ramifications.Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/ukrainian-drone-attack

With all the buzz around central banks starting digital currencies and one of these entities controlling all transactions, I think it's about time I burst everyone's bubble...Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/the-problem-with-central-bank-digital-currencies

Most people would scoff at the idea that Cuba could end the US as a major power, but that small country has something no one else does...Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/why-is-a-us-cuba-deal-inevitable

Thanks to the right demographics and cheap capital, we've been living in a period of extreme technological advancement and innovation. Can innovation keep up with the needs of modular nuclear reactors, artificial intelligence hardware, space and satellites, biologic drugs, shale, and agriculture?Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/understanding-the-limits-of-innovation

Today, we're talking about a bunch of marines in trucks, with four Tomahawks strapped to each truck. I agree if that sounds like a random G.I. Joe creation to you. But this is a relatively new capability for the US, so let me explain how we got here. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/marines-get-tomahawks-on-trucks

Have you ever seen a couple of 3-year-olds sitting on the playground talking gibberish and acting like they're making life-changing decisions? Well, that's what's going on at the BRICS summit in South Africa this week. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/the-brics-summit-significant-or-hoopla

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group, has reportedly died in a plane crash. The question that comes to mind isn't why this happened (because Prigozhin's hands were plenty dirty), but who did it?Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/prigozhin-is-dead-but-who-did-it

Texas is known for many things - cowboys, bbq, oil, and who could forget the Alamo - but none of those are why Texas has been (and will continue to be) the fastest-growing state in the US. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/what-makes-texas-so-successful

Biden recently announced that he'd be making a trip to Vietnam, which will likely occur in September when he visits other regional powers. But what makes Vietnam such a valuable asset to have in the US portfolio of allies? Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/what-makes-vietnam-a-valuable-us-ally

Last week the Ukrainians got the news that the Biden administration issued the thumbs up for the Netherlands and Denmark to send Zelensky some F-16s. But this development is by no means black and white.Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/f-16-fighter-jets-updates-to-ukraines-defense-strategy

The Biden administration has issued its first wave of investment bans on the Chinese tech space - things like AI or tech with military applications. However, money isn't the problem for the Chinese; the real kicker is losing access to American know-how. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/making-life-hard-for-chinese-tech

Things over in Ukraine are in a bit of a holding period, which makes getting these updates out consistently that much harder...and let's not forget that most of the data we're seeing is shaky at best. But here's what I got for you. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/ukraine-war-updates-talking-strategy-and-tactics

If you're thinking, "There's no way China's situation could possibly get worse," you may need to talk to mother nature about the rains and typhoons causing flooding in northern China. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/why-should-northern-china-worry-about-flooding

There's finally a deal on the table between the US and Iran that everyone can live with...it even looks like Israel has given it the green light. So what does this deal actually look like? Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/an-iran-deal-we-can-live-with

Before I answer the question about what news sources I use, we must understand how our society became so uninformed... Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/why-cant-we-trust-the-media

The current Chinese system has been staring down the barrel of a number of serious challenges for quite a while now, and this new economic data just took the safety off that gun. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/the-chinese-slide-into-deflation

Is the superconductor of every Green's dreams finally here? I hate to burst your bubble, but the LK-99 is just too good to be true. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/is-the-lk-99-superconductor-the-key-to-green-energy

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) set Monday, Aug. 7, as the deadline for the Niger Coup plotters to step down and renounce power. That deadline has come and gone without any change, so what happens now? Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/ecowas-deadline-on-the-niger-coup

Before we dive into today's video, let me start by saying that if you want to defect somewhere...maybe don't choose the same place as Travis King. Now let's look at where things are with North Korea. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/lets-talk-north-korea-and-travis-king

The Ukrainians and Russians had a hectic weekend, so let's get caught up. On Friday, the Ukrainians used a naval drone (a motorboat loaded with a crap ton of explosives) to hit a Russian vessel in the port of Novorossiysk. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/russias-largest-port-comes-under-fire

As the Biden administration piles on more drilling restrictions on public land, will America's energy independence be jeopardized? Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/ask-peter-is-biden-killing-us-energy-independence

Yesterday we covered the key players in the US and Saudi relations. Today we'll look at the strategic implications of this relationship over the past 40 years and what it looks like moving forward. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/us-and-saudi-arabia-relations-part-2

Today we're talking about key players in US - Saudi relations. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan went to Saudi Arabia to lay the framework for a new relationship. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/us-and-saudi-arabia-relations-part-1

Most of the developing world has relatively similar demographics...the defining characteristic being a boatload of kids. And until recently, Mexico was no exception to that. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/mexican-demographics-where-are-all-the-kids

The French have found themselves caught between a rock and a hard place, and a coup in Niger happens to be the catalyst for this predicament. To be clear, we're only talking about Niger because of what it means for the French. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/what-the-coup-in-niger-means-for-france

Russia has pulled out of the grain deal brokered by Turkey and the UN, and the countdown on Ukrainian agriculture has officially started. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/the-end-of-ukrainian-agriculture

***Apologies for the audio today; you can watch with subtitles at this link: https://youtu.be/-rANSHB4q1Y At the start of the Ukraine War, many of the world's advanced central banks placed sanctions and embargos on Russian financial assets. As Putin tries to repatriate gold reserves from these hubs worldwide, what does this mean for the leprechauns who think we should switch to an asset-backed currency? Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/why-fiat-currencies-will-always-beat-gold

Today's new factoid is that youth unemployment in China is higher than in Italy (in percentage terms). And if China's unemployment resembles Italy's, it is a very, very bad sign. Let's break this down in the context of manufacturing. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/chinas-labor-problem-youth-unemployment

Over the last few weeks, we've seen Iranian oil hit markets at nearly decade-high volumes...but production has remained relatively flat. So what's really happening here? Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/whats-going-on-with-iran-and-oil-markets

As I was heading out on this trip, a fire broke out in Mexico's Cantarell oil field, which has long been Mexico's largest oil-producing asset. However, even before this fire, oil production from this field was already down to but 1/8 of peak production. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/why-is-the-mexican-energy-sector-collapsing

Unless you've been living under a rock (or stuck in the mountains), you've probably heard that the Kerch Strait Bridge was attacked again. While this attack took Russia's vehicular transport capabilities offline, there's much more at stake here. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/brain-drain-and-capital-issues-plague-indias-tech-industry

Unless you've been living under a rock (or stuck in the mountains), you've probably heard that the Kerch Strait Bridge was attacked again. While this attack took Russia's vehicular transport capabilities offline, there's much more at stake here. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/why-the-kerch-strait-bridge-attack-is-bad-for-russia

There's been a lot of movement in Turkey's neck of the woods, so the Turks have had to change their stance on several issues. Given Turkey's strategic positioning and importance, expect huge regional implications. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/lets-talk-turkey

Russia announced on Monday that the Black Sea grain deal will not be extended. This initiative has enabled Ukraine to export agricultural products through Russia’s blockade of the Black Sea; however, Ukrainian exports are only at a fraction of pre-war levels. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/russia-terminates-the-black-sea-grain-deal