At the end of World War II, the United States made a bold strategic decision that reshaped the international system. Empires were abolished and replaced by a global order enforced by the U.S. Navy. With all the world's oceans safe for the first time in history, markets and resources became available to all. Enemies became allies. We consider this system to be normal - it is not. We live in an artificial world on borrowed time.

In "The Accidental Superpower," international strategic analyst Peter Zeihan examines how the harsh rules of geography erode the American commitment to free trade. How the aging of the planet leads to a mass retirement that will incapacitate markets and resources. And how, against all odds, it is the ever-hungry American economy that - alone among developed countries - is rapidly approaching energy independence. Combined, these factors overturn the global system and introduce a new (dis)order.

For most, this is a disaster waiting to happen, but not for Americans. The shale revolution allows Americans to bypass an increasingly dangerous energy market. Only the United States has enough youth to escape the Senate of global aging. Most importantly, geography will matter more than ever in a deglobalized world, and America's geography is simply excellent.

Pages: 432, Year of Publication: 0625, Dimensions: 15.2x15.2cm