I like Zeihan. I think he’s correct directionally, but he also makes sensational comments/proclamations (China will cease to exist in a decade, etc) that are driven by supporting his narrative and grabbing people’s attention. The world is more nuanced than he portrays it. He also cherry picks outlier data at times and preaches it as gospel. Finally, he has blind faith in demographics and its correlation with GDP/growth. While important there are examples of countries with good demographics and poor records of growth and vice versa. Demographics in a vacuum don’t tell the story and ignore important factors that contribute to growth (geography, history, culture, system of governance, etc).
Hi Matt, you make some very valid points. The X Project will cover three more books by Zeihan. I found his books more measured and conservative than his recorded presentations and YouTube videos, where he makes some of his more aggressive or outlandish claims. The X Project will also summarize Ray Dalio's book, which directly challenges Zeihan's assertions about China. Thank you for your comments and your subscription.
I like Zeihan. I think he’s correct directionally, but he also makes sensational comments/proclamations (China will cease to exist in a decade, etc) that are driven by supporting his narrative and grabbing people’s attention. The world is more nuanced than he portrays it. He also cherry picks outlier data at times and preaches it as gospel. Finally, he has blind faith in demographics and its correlation with GDP/growth. While important there are examples of countries with good demographics and poor records of growth and vice versa. Demographics in a vacuum don’t tell the story and ignore important factors that contribute to growth (geography, history, culture, system of governance, etc).
Hi Matt, you make some very valid points. The X Project will cover three more books by Zeihan. I found his books more measured and conservative than his recorded presentations and YouTube videos, where he makes some of his more aggressive or outlandish claims. The X Project will also summarize Ray Dalio's book, which directly challenges Zeihan's assertions about China. Thank you for your comments and your subscription.