Disunited Nations (The Scramble for Power in an Ungoverned World)

A forward-thinking geopolitical guru explains who will win and who will lose in the coming global disorder.

The world is entering a period of dangerous instability and conflict not seen since before World War I, Peter Zeihan asserts. America’s allies depend on our commitments for their economic and physical security, and they hope the Trump administration’s hostility is an aberration. This hope is misplaced, Zeihan contends.

The problem goes deeper than America. A growing number of countries are stepping back from the international system, and nationalism is on the rise worldwide, from Brazil to Great Britain to Italy to Hungary. We are at the dawn of a new age—that of the isolationist populist politician. People worldwide are losing faith in the global order. The value that we are all connected and must protect world trade and regional order is losing its power. The countries and businesses prepared for this new every-country-for-itself ethic are those that will prevail.

In Disunited Nations, Zeihan presents a series of counterintuitive arguments about the future of the world. Germany will decline as the most powerful country in Europe, with France taking its place. Every country should prepare for the collapse of China, not North Korea. We are already seeing, as he predicts, a shift in outlook on the Middle East: it is no longer Iran that is the region’s most dangerous threat, but Saudi Arabia.

Smart, interesting, and essential reading, Disunited Nations is a sure-to-be-controversial guidebook that analyzes the emerging shifts and resulting problems and issues that will arise in the next two decades. We are entering a period of chaos; no political or corporate leader can ignore Zeihan’s insights or his message if they want to survive and thrive in this uncertain new time.