Ask Peter Zeihan: Will Putin "Disappear" and Updates on Russian Demographics? 

Russian citizen here. Birthrates in late USSR were shit because economy and society offered no real initiative. By 80s there were deficits of everything, corruption in consumer goods was rampant, and since then people never quite recovered from that anxiety and uncertainty. My mom was teen in 80s, so, Gen X, I am 28, late millennial. Mom had to work all 9 months of pregnancy, had only me, my siblings she couldn’t carry to full term, and my dad as programmer had unstable employment through nineties and died young to rare disease (Stephen Hawking had the same but in remission). I am not having kids in this freaking Mordor

I'm still not sure if this is a travel channel or a politics channel. 😂

10 months later, this video aged well. I find that with your videos and books in general! Well done Peter!

I must give a big thumbs up to Peter for his choice of locations and the variety . As a city dweller who loves seeing the " natural world " I get great enjoyment . Cheers our kid !

A good way to defend yourself is by not stealing your defence budget. And stealing your maintenance budget or reserves.

Love the longer format where you are answering various questions. Looking forward to more like it.

Great analysis! Love unbiased independent journalism... pure news, No spin!

These videos are amazing. Love the perspective. Mr. Zeihan is a great thinker!

There was also a significant brain drain during the Soviet collapse in '89-'91. Over the course of my employment in the 90's and later I met many technically educated people who had "escaped" from the Soviet Union when it went down. Most of these people - the one's that I knew about - were in the age range of 30-60. Many were Jewish and there were not just a few - thousands. Thank you Peter for your insight to some of these geopolitical problems we are now having. Very interesting.

WE WANT LONG VIDEOS LIKE THIS EVERYDAY. Peter Zeihan in high demand

Your great videos are incredible with details of persons, past history, and many countries. Look forward to more?

Super insightful. Thank you.

"Russian raw materials extraction depends on foreigners" According to the research of Thomas Sowell, this was true even under the Soviet system.

In the past Navalny has been ambiguous about the Crimea issue, but earlier this year in a series of tweets Navalny said that Crimea should be "returned to Ukraine, full stop".

Thank you again brother!

I read Accidental Superpower about year ago... EXCELLENT read!!! ... the information in that book helped me make so much more sense out of our world... and global politics. Also, for people who fear immigration is hurting America... you be SHOCKED to learn that immigration is actually SAVING our butts from depopulation. The mindblowing truth that MOST industrialized nations face demographic decline is truly amazing... the book shows that the coming depopulation of industrialized nations is projected to disconnect and deglobalize most of the industrialized world... the numbers are ASTOUNDING! Thanks very much Peter... your voice seems almost prophetic in these murky times!

That's a really interesting point about giving Putin "off-ramps". I remember when the war first began, it seemed like that was the one line every single European country (besides the former Warsaw pact nations) would repeat: give Putin an "off-ramp" to end the war. For whatever reason, countries like France and Germany did not understand that this war wasn't some kind of huge misunderstanding or an accident. This was the outcome Russia wanted, and frankly it has been the hill Putin has chosen to die on.

Imagine being stuck at an airport and Peter Zeihan comes up to you and says "Hey, I'm Peter, ask me anything!"

Thank you.

Many thanks Peter. Brilliance. Observation at its finest . Cheers.

If anything I learn from these video’s is that I need to go outside more.

"Nalvani" did not say that. He is against the war and made that clear. He was reluctant to give a clear answer about Crimea, though. I'm pretty sure that's a very sensitive topic even for his supporters. Also, his name is Navalny, not Nalvani.

Good one, this

Thanks a lot 👍🏻

Thank you Peter. I'm always impressed with your breadth of knowledge and ability to talk for minutes on these subjects without looking at notes.

Once again excellent work. Thank you so much for your analysis 🥃

Thank you, lots of information in a nut shell.

THANK YOU SIR. an amazing verbal dissertation from a civilian viewpoint. The bigger picture is still very bleak for ordinary Russians and Ukranians.

Western media and analysts like to focus on the weaknesses of Russia, maybe because it makes us feel better, and it's of course important to know about those. But it's also important to not underestimate someone with hostile intentions. It can backfire to focus too much on their weaknesses

Thank you Peter. Love these talks. Only an experienced lecturer could deliver this sort of detailed talk while walking along a woodland trial.

3:18 * Chernenko came after Andropov and preceded Gorby.

Fascinating

This guy’s stamina is unbelievable. Giving a college level lecture while climbing a mountain must be unprecedented.

I read all your books, Peter, and while I do not always agree with you. I am really happy to have found your work, and you are a true role model for looking at the world from a fact based point of view

I am a great admirer of you analysis! Thank you!

Thank you for this detailed analysis. Subscribed.

Thank you. The second half was most enlightening. Dis United Nations & your previous videos spelled out the first part. The second part was new. Looking forward to the next video. Stay safe.

Excellent information and presentation Mr. Zeihan! I can literally see the gears go round and round in that brain with all that exertive energy and oxygen intake! I am loving the "under 20-ish minute" talk format!

Thank you Peter! Excellent show😊

They need to not only see it but Feel It!

Peter Zeihan: reliably shooting horizontal video for years. My hero.

Re: Young Russian men fleeing the country to avoid the draft...I was in Phuket a couple of months ago. All of them are there. Every last rude, & obnoxious one of them. There are actual news reports of a huge spike of them involved in scooter accidents/voilence/drunk & disorderly stuff. Great. It seems like there were 5 Russians for every tourist from somewhere else there.

Peter … thanks for your exceptional offerings. I sifted through nearly 100 sources of info - until I finally settled on three. You are one of those. Appreciate your analysis and insight. Cheers from ‘downunder’.

Good piece

10:32 Any source on Navalny being okay with continuing the war? Pretty sure his most recent post earlier this year was about Russia's and Ukraine's borders going back to the way they were internationally recognized post-USSR in 1991, and that fighting war over them is senseless.

Your a good guy, Peter. I see your love and care within the context of your brilliant awareness of the systems of the world .

Excellent! Succinct and most informative.

So glad i found this channel I love geopolitics because local Northern Ireland politics is so dull such is tribal politics

Peter your encouraging me to exercise again while watching you there, grinding through those hilly trails, barely losing a breath, while continuously keeping your mind and your vocal cords busy at the same time....along with all that fresh mountain air helping as well!!

"even if he were to accidentally duct tape himself to a lawn chair and go swimming..." Oh dear, I shouldn't have laughed quite so heartily at that.

Wow, that was really really interesting, thank you.

Brilliant informed appraisal.

I love how you can provide us different points of views from facts that are public and aviable, allowing to draw conclusions we otherwise would not have tought about them.

Minor fact check: When Andropov died, it wasn't Viktor Chernomyrdin, it was Konstantin Chernenko who took over the show. Viktor Chernomyrdin rose to political prominence after the Soviet Union fell and Yeltsin had become the power broker. Chernenko was a terminally ill hard-liner when he got the job, and in practice because of his physical frailty, it ended up being Gromyko and Ustinov who ran the country. He was installed more to buy time for other old Soviets to find a candidate preferable to the one Andropov had tapped -- Mikhail Gorbachev. In the end, Gorbachev wound up taking over, anyway, simply because too many people who were old enough to have participated in anything in 1917 were dead or dying. Yeah, I know. It's hard to keep all those Slavic names straight. I can only do it because I speak Russian, and the Slavic roots of "Chernomyrdin" give it a very strange translation into English: "The guy with the black animal snout."

That was very informative and quite interesting.

Peter, I love your laser focus, there’s no umming and ahhhing, all whist climbing up a hill. Great update!

Chernenko, not Chernomyrdin. Tha latter was a former Russian PM. Gorbachev was - as far as I know - never in the KGB, he went to law school and later worked a lot with agricultural issues. But, yes, he enjoyed the patronage and protection of KGB boss Andropov.

I would like nothing better to hike with Peter and ask his opinion on various geopolitical situations.

Thanks, Pete.

Peter! You are Brilliant! very knowledgeable! so nice to have trust in listening to your comment! keep up your excellent work! Thank You from South Africa Cape Town

Thanks for the clear explanation. It's nice to hear that from a political (or geopolitical) analyst without lots of hedging or innuendo.

Amazing how informed you are. Thank you for the great work

Thanks for the video. Demography seems to be an extremely important factor globally.

Love the walk and talk. Downloading the info seems much easier when I'm taking a stroll while you breakdown the world and regional problems. I love it, thank ya, Pete

I still don't understand how you get such clear and quality audio without the background noise when filming your videos as you do. Also, as an international affairs and politics nerd, I love your content.

Love to your take on things keep putting out content like this please thank you Peter

Very Interesting Food For Thought! 🤔

As always , interesting and v informative ,, thanks Peter

Outstanding analysis as usual. My daily dose of geopolitics. It’s amazing how uninformed the typical citizen is and most aren’t interested in learning what’s going on in the world. Thanks for educating those of us who are interested.

Multitasking like a champ

Thanks, Peter, New subscriber and honestly your content is mind-stretching. Thanks for giving me thought-provoking content

Peter, you're the Cam Hanes of Geopolitics. Great episode. Thanks for sharing.

Peter,just be carefull while in the wild. You provide us with tons of reliable info I appreciate it much. Take care!!

Brilliant Analysis!!!! Thank You!!!!

This one clarified a lot for me. Dak

You do all your best thinking when you're hiking. Just like me!

The Cue was 1982, and it was Andropov. He was foloved by Chiernienko. Both died due to old age within a year of assuming office. Next came Gorvachov. Chiernomyrdyn was later.

Ouch..."the death rate doubled and the birth rate halved" that one will be hard to overcome.

It is more amazing than Peter's topics that SW Colorado finally got rain and greened up in the middle of a 50 yr drought.

Peter, Please don't push yourself so hard, we need your knowledge, wisdom, and humor. -from Minnesota

Excellent video! The best take on the situation I have seen to date! Now Subscribed!

Love it when uncle Pete teaches us what’s what in the world of geopolitics 🙏🏽

Very good video, thank you!

Superb

Peter is giving us the beauty of nature and lots of info. Amazing.

I appreciate this analysis. It bit down to the bone and was to the point. Either Russia and Putin are in this to the death, or Russia and Putin are in their death throws. Thank you for this video. I appreciate the realism.

Very interesting

Most insightful video on the subject I've seen.

"Paid the price for a major war without major gains." well said.

Thought provoking and insightful analysis. Thank you!

Respect to Host

That the kind of truthful information that we all should be listening to. Instead we get carried away with the war and the killing, I'm one of those, to my shame. Not knowing the inner politic of the conflict we latch on to the emotional part of the conflict. It had to come to this point because there are to many countries to hold together because its heald together through fear. This is a legacy problem coming home to roots. ✌️

It was Konstatin Chernenko after Andropov, not the guy Zeihan said. Minor error, but I've heard Zeihan make the same mistake a few times now. Accuracy should matter.

A lot of comments here assume Peter is a one-man show. He's not. He has a team behind him. He has major cred behind him too, including the U.S. military who has had him speak. This is what he does for a living. He gives advice to major international companies. For a fee. He's been doing this for around 20 years. So, we're getting a lot of this for free from someone who really has the expertise. When I first came across him, he was so contrary to my understanding of the world that I knew I'd love him or dismiss him as a crackpot. It's been over a year, and I do my own research when he says something I think he's wrong about. Except in areas where he riffs on something outside his expertise, he's always been right. I have a number of his books, and they're much more detailed than what he gives here. I personally have not regretted the purchase of any of them. Even if I disagree with an assessment - I certainly get an informed education out of it anyway. You do have to pay close attention to what he says, because he will give caveats on things he _thinks_ will happen but he's not totally sure about. _Nobody_ is right _all_ the time, including Peter. But if I were to grade him, I'd put him at around 95%. I'll go with those odds.

I love a good logically consistent perspective.

That was really good, thank you.

Hey Peter, I just love your videos, could you cover Iran and USA nuclear deal? What happened when Obama was in the office and what has been changed by Trump and were we are now. Thank you!!!

Question: How come Russian military planning doesn't take corruption into account? They all seem surprised when their equipment doesn't perform as advertised or when they find out that equipment maintainance has been seriously neglected. Surely they must be aware of their own corruption?

Excellent analysis.

Good questions, and excellent insights. Thank you, Peter!!