Peter Henry Zeihan (, born January 18, 1973) is an American

geopolitical Geopolitics (from Greek γῆ ''gê'' "earth, land" and πολιτική ''politikḗ'' "politics") is the study of the effects of Earth's geography (human and physical) on politics and international relations. While geopolitics usually refers to ...

analyst and author.

Early life, education, and career

Born in 1973, Peter grew up the adopted son of educators Jerald and Agnes Zeihan in Marshalltown, Iowa, graduating from Marshalltown High School in 1992. In 1995, he obtained a

BSc A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

Political Science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

from what then was

Northeast Missouri State University Truman State University (TSU or Truman) is a public university in Kirksville, Missouri. It had 4,225 enrolled students in the fall of 2021 pursuing degrees in 52 undergraduate and 11 graduate programs. The university is named for U.S. Presiden ...

, a

postgraduate degree Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and stru ...

Asian studies Asian studies is the term used usually in North America and Australia for what in Europe is known as Oriental studies. The field is concerned with the Asian people, their cultures, languages, history and politics. Within the Asian sphere, Asian ...

from

University of Otago , image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg , image_size = , caption = University clock tower , motto = la, Sapere aude , mottoeng = Dare to be wise , established = 1869; 152 years ago , type = Public research collegiate u ...

(

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

, New Zealand) in 1997, and another from the

Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce Patterson may refer to: People * Patterson (surname) Places ;Canada *Pattersons Corners, Ontario *Patterson Township, Ontario *Patterson, Calgary a neighbourhood in Calgary, Alberta. ;United States of America * Patterson, Arkansas *Patterson, Ca ...

of the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentu ...

in 1999. Discouraged by his experiences during his work at the American Embassy in Australia and at

Susan Eisenhower Susan Elaine Eisenhower (born December 31, 1951) is an American consultant, author, and expert on international security, space policy, energy, and relations between the Russian Federation and the United States of America. She is the daughter o ...

's think tank, the Center for Political and Strategic Studies, he began working as an analyst for

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

-based geopolitical intelligence firm

Stratfor Strategic Forecasting Inc., commonly known as Stratfor, is an American geopolitics publisher and consultancy founded in 1996. Stratfor's business model is to provide individual and enterprise subscriptions to Stratfor Worldview, its online public ...

in 2000.Denning, Liam (Dec. 3, 2014)
"The Coming Hobbesian World." Review of ''The Accidental Superpower''
by Peter Zeihan. ''

Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

''. Retrieved Dec. 3, 2014. Zeihan spent 12 years at Stratfor, eventually rising to vice-president. While still at Stratfor, Zeihan coauthored his first book, ''A Crucible of Nations,'' with Lauren Goodrich in 2011. The book discusses the Caucasus region of Eastern Europe. Zeihan left Stratfor in 2012, founding his consulting firm ''Zeihan on Geopolitics'' that same year''.'' His client list would grow to include energy companies, financial institutions, business associations, agricultural interests, universities, and other government organizations. In 2014 he released ''Accidental Superpower''. The book was reviewed by ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

,'' and ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

''. The book focused on topographical and geographical landmarks (rivers, oceans, mountains, etc.) as distinct advantages in a nation's ability to dominate others economically, industrially, and militarily. With the use of maps, Zeihan pointed out that navigable rivers, or access to the oceans, along with a reliable road or rail network make a critical difference, of which the U.S. is featured to have 12 navigable rivers, two oceans on its flanks, which are key in relying less on large land infrastructure projects. These land features, in turn, "encourage small government". Another three books were published afterwards including ''The Absent Superpower'' (2017), ''Disunited Nations'' (2020), and ''The End of the World Is Just the Beginning'' (2022).

Publications

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zeihan, Peter 1973 births Living people Writers from Iowa American male non-fiction writers American political writers American adoptees Geopoliticians Truman State University alumni University of Otago alumni University of Kentucky alumni 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers Place of birth missing (living people) American gay writers

Early life, education, and career

Publications

See also

References

External links