The Absent Superpower

The Shale Revolution and a World Without America

By: Peter Zeihan

Narrated by: Toby Sheets

The world is changing in ways most of us find incomprehensible. Terrorism spills out of the Middle East into Europe. Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, China, and Japan vie to see who can be most aggressive. Financial breakdown in Asia and Europe guts growth, challenging hard-won political stability.

Yet, for the Americans, these changes are fantastic. Alone among the world's powers, only the United States is geographically wealthy, demographically robust, and energy secure. That last piece - American energy security - is rapidly emerging as the most critical piece of the global picture.

The American shale revolution does more than sever the largest of the remaining ties that bind America's fate to the wider world. It re-industrializes the United States, accelerates the global order's breakdown, and triggers a series of wide ranging military conflicts that will shape the next two decades. The common theme? Just as the global economy tips into chaos, just as global energy becomes dangerous, just as the world really needs the Americans to be engaged, the United States will be...absent.

In 2014's The Accidental Superpower, geopolitical strategist Peter Zeihan made the case that geographic, demographic, and energy trends were unravelling the global system. Zeihan takes the story a step further in The Absent Superpower, mapping out the threats and opportunities as the world descends into disorder.

©2016 Peter Zeihan (P)2017 Peter Zeihan

Compellingly informed

Great book! Not so much changed, but informed my understanding of geo politics and economics by orders of magnitude. Going directly to his next book and planning to read everything Peter has written.

A valued addition to the favourites shelf!

Exceptional and I am hoping to see many more.
Thanks very much Peter Zeihan! !! Much appreciated

Wished author narrated own book

Love all of Peter’s content, enjoy his videos and books. My comment is I would have rather heard this audio book through his voice as many are accustomed to listening to rather than someone else, made it less enjoyable for some reason.

Author vs Reader

Not my favorite Zeihan book but good. Wish it had been read by the author.

Place is everything; an explanation WHY!

Peter Zeihan’s books should be required reading in every college in every State for every major coursework! It clarifies the what and the why of how our world works. With this understanding one can dismiss the foolishness of the woke and the magical thinking of politics.

very interesting look into the potential near futu

Peter has clearly done his homework, making this a very interesting view of what could happen in the near future as the US becomes energy independent and continues on its populist and isolationist path, in particular what this means for the rest of the world as other actors step in to fill the void.

excellent book on geopolitics

Peter zeihan and George freidman are my favorite geopolitics dtrstegists and both came out of Stratford. Zeihans book links up well with his first book on shale and overall world and US related geopolitics. highly recommended and can't wait for Zeihans 3rd book due out in 2020.

Great book

I lover geopolitics as a hobby, and no one does it better than Peter Zeihan. Get this book.

Very through - very relevant

Another thought provoking book. Much prefer when Peter narrates his own books, adds to the overall presentation. Excellent research!

A timely follow-up to the authors last book.

Zeihan's last book, The Accidental Superpower, was well written, well-read, and covers topics in an easy to understand way. The Absent Superpower follows-up on many of those topics with insight relevant to the rapidly changing world and adds content and topics not covered in the last book. I sincerely hope a third book relevant to the many changes that have happened since its release is in the works and available soon.