Disunited Nations
by Peter Zeihan · first published 2020
57% recommend29% neutral14% critical
Why HN recommends it
Geopolitical forecast built on demographics and geography, with country-by-country chapters on China, Germany, Iran and France; suits readers wanting a big-picture view of where global power is heading.
Common criticism: Critics find the writing style cliche-heavy and the forecasts speculative.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
"Most countries and companies are not prepared for the world Peter Zeihan says we're already living in. For decades, America's allies have depended on its might for their economic and physical security. But as a new age of American isolationism dawns, the results will surprise everyone. In Disunited Nations, geopolitical strategist Peter Zeihan presents a series of counterintuitive arguments about the future of a world where trade agreements are coming apart and international institutions are losing their power"--
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
2018–2023The Absent Superpower
Peter Zeihan
Recommended by 5 · mentioned by 85 recommend · 8 mention5 recommend · 85 recommend
2022–2026End of the World Is Just the Beginning
Peter Zeihan
Recommended by 19 · mentioned by 3519 recommend · 35 mention19 recommend · 3519 recommend
2016–2024The accidental superpower
Peter Zeihan
Recommended by 13 · mentioned by 1913 recommend · 19 mention13 recommend · 1913 recommend
2010–2026Mere Christianity
C. S. Lewis
Recommended by 29 · mentioned by 5229 recommend · 52 mention29 recommend · 5229 recommend
2008–2026The Demon-Haunted World
Carl Sagan
Recommended by 93 · mentioned by 16293 recommend · 162 mention93 recommend · 16293 recommend
2007–2026Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Robert M. Pirsig
Recommended by 302 · mentioned by 508302 recommend · 508 mention302 recommend · 508302 recommend
If geopolitics + trends is interesting to you, I highly recommend "Disunited Nations": https://zeihan.com/disunited-nations/
on “Why did renewables become so cheap so fast?” ↗If you want to see the demographic disaster many countries are heading toward, can't recommend Peter Zeihan enough. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNvdBRjRno8 is a good intro Disunited Nations is his most recent published book: https://zeihan.com/disunited-nations/ (a new one is coming out in June)
on “Saito Renho on Japanese economic growth, ‘Abenomics’, redistribution, and more” ↗Zeihan is Awesome. The Case against China was well articulated by him in his latest book : "Disunited Nations: The Scramble for Power in an Ungoverned World".
on “America might wield its ultimate weapon of mass disruption” ↗Agreed! I'm plagiarizing wholesale from Peter Zeihan, I'm not a geopolitical expert. I recently read Disunited Nations. His YouTube videos and podcasts are very interesting. Re: your comment about being in for a bumpy ride: I think his logic is solid in that the bumpy ride is only in relation to the unprecedented post-WWII/post-cold-war…
on “UK banks given six months to prepare for negative interest rates” ↗…more relevant, but I couldn't resist the pun). If you want a couple of reads, I enjoyed A Splendid Exchange about the history of trade, which I followed by the resurgent-though-once-dismissed Zeihan's Disunited Nations (which is more a hypothesis book than a history book).
on “Sam Altman’s DRAM Deal” ↗Over the past several months I read all his books. His previous book, Disunited Nations, is probably best for making the demographic argument. He devotes chapters to individual countries, covering their situations in detail, starting with several chapters on China. (His first book, Accidental…
on “Asset-Level Transition Risk in the Global Coal, Oil, and Gas Supply Chains” ↗If you are curious about China's ambitions and possible future in the wake of the American pullback from the international order, I recommend the book "Disunited Nations". It also profiles Germany, Iran, France and various other interesting places.
on “The Coming Chip Wars” ↗Forward looking: Disunited Nations: The Scramble for Power in an Ungoverned World Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order Historical: The…
on “Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?” ↗…forever) China hasn't really invented anything of it's own. China has a large, complex, and well run espionage network responsible for stealing trade secrets from western companies. There's a great book, Disunited Nations, that talks about it in gory detail. Essentially, China will steal anything it can and build it locally. Espionage like this is generally expected (even among allies) but the scale at which China operates…
on “US Export Restrictions, Intel Layoffs, Applied Materials, and TSMC” ↗I'm currently reading Disunited Nations: The Scramble for Power in an Ungoverned World by Peter Zeihan. [1] The book discusses the upcoming world order from a geopolitical perspective and gives original insight into potential developments.…
on “The Changing World Order” ↗That US oil self sufficiency means that it will get out of the Middle East is a key part of Peter Zeihan’s Disunited Nations. His premise is that the US will disengage from the world no matter who won the election and that will have far reaching ramifications for the world. A major reason of the ability for the US to do this…
on “Peak Oil Is Suddenly Upon Us” ↗You’re right. It was in the book Disunited Nations by Zeihan.
on “De-dollarization: Is the US dollar losing its dominance?” ↗…individual countries, with more of an energy focus. This one's obviously most relevant to the tech we're discussing here, which could change everything if it scales up soon enough. Now I'm partway through Disunited Nations, from 2020. This also goes country by country, and of course is the most up-to-date so far. He starts out with several chapters on China, and goes into more detail than the previous book on their situation,…
on “Dude, where's my fuel?” ↗…now, covid and the Ukraine-Russia war. Now I can’t get enough of his words and thoughts On my reading list, is his books. - The Absent Superpower: The Shale Revolution and a World Without America - Disunited Nations: The Scramble for Power in an Ungoverned World So far, his predictions have been accurate. And that scares me about the next few years *edit for formatting
on “Ask HN: What's on your learning list?” ↗…feel about the writing style? I was barely able to finish it. I can't say I agree with most of the speculative non-fiction he wrote in that book (which is also a rehash of the ideas in the previous book, Disunited Nations) but the writing style with all the clichés and the expressions trying to make it funny were absolutely horrible.
on “Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?” ↗