Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe by Niall Ferguson review
(Evening Standard) – From plagues and volcanic eruptions to the current Covid pandemic, mankind has always been faced with catastrophes.
Thought Leader: Niall Ferguson
Peter Zeihan: Immigration, Tariff Policies & the US Economy
On the latest Peter Zeihan on Geopolitics: The Trump-era policies are going full Darth Vader and have the US economy in a chokehold (or force choke for the nerds out there). Today, we’ll be focusing on the policies covering immigration and tariffs.
Nearly all legal (and illegal) forms of immigration have been closed or drastically restricted. This includes high-skilled H-1B visas, which now have six figures in fees; most startups can’t go dropping that kind of dough. Once you mix in all the costly deportations and the retiring baby boomers, the US labor force is drying up quickly.
Tariffs are only adding to the problem. With 10-60% tariffs on imported goods (the Chinese sitting near the top with 50%), we’re beginning to see rapid price increases. Walmart and other retailers are reporting hikes that are only going to get worse.
Fewer workers, higher costs, and not enough domestic investment, all the things you don’t want to hear about an economy. The Fed warns that the only reason a recession hasn’t formally set in yet is because labor demand and the workforce are shrinking at similar rates. That has left the US economy dazed, confused, and highly vulnerable.
Peter Zeihan is a geopolitical strategist, which is a fancy way of saying he helps people understand how the world works. He combines an expert understanding of demography, economics, energy, politics, technology, and security to help clients best prepare for an uncertain future.
Peter is also a New York Times best-selling author whose first three books — The Accidental Superpower, The Absent Superpower and Disunited Nations — have been recommended by Mitt Romney, Fareed Zakaria, and Ian Bremmer. Peter’s fourth book, The End of the World is Just the Beginning: Mapping the Collapse of Globalization, was published in June 2022 and was a New York Times bestseller.
With a keen eye toward what will drive tomorrow’s headlines, his irreverent approach transforms topics that are normally dense and heavy into accessible, relevant takeaways for audiences of all types. Contact WWSG to host Peter Zeihan.
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