George Harrell: Peter Zeihan & The Myth of the Pax Americana

Contrary to the post-Cold War, triumphalist narrative, after WWII the United States did not altruistically transcend power politics and become the world’s stabilizing umpire. Geopolitics was never turned off as Peter Zeihan claimed, nor did history end as Francis Fukuyama predicted. Instead, it was a period of brutal business as usual, and we are just now becoming aware of the cost.
George Buchanan was a late 16th-century Scottish Reformed thinker who used Scripture, history, and the natural law to argue for the restraint of civil rulers, the resistance to tyranny, and the freedom of Christian citizens. Like its namesake, the George Buchanan Forum is a community of liberty-minded Christians seeking to integrate theology, political theory, economics, and history.
Learn more at...
www.tgbf.org / thegeorgebuchananforum

[@xxchuangtzu6186]

A standard, pedestrian overview of US global policy. One waits in vain for any non-trivial discussion of Zeihan's work. Freaking bait and switch!

[@colgategilbert8067]

A miss read on Bretton Woods and the US role in Globalization. 1, by 1944-46, the US had been dragged, kicking and screaming, into sorting out 2 European Messes and saw a 3rd on the Horizon. The redacted sections of Bretton Woods came up with a plan to deal with this. 2, the USN guaranteed Global Maritime Shipping, Not world peace. Talk of World Peace was all a cover to make the US costs for Globalization politically palatable. Rather, Globalization was a bribe to join the US as allies vs the Soviet Union. This worked because the European States had had to rely on reaching out of Europe for resources for the previous 500 years in order to survive in the Ultra competitive European theater. Without Navies to protect shipping, they were doomed. 3, after the Soviet Union fell, the US fished around for an alternative strategic purpose for Globalization all the while retooling its Navy for policing, but not Maritime Security. 4, the US sacrificed about 1/3 of its business, capital and jobs over 70 years to keep Globalization going. The US voters and industry are now tired of the expense. 5, so now, Globalization is coming to an end because a lack of tools to protect shipping, with unsurprising consequences.

[@paulmurray8922]

All true but it doesn't prove that Pax Americana is a myth. In fact, this reinforces it. The US grew more powerful, even as there were numerous wars, as had always been the case throughout history, but no repeat of those two 20th century global convulsions.

[@dabrack9350]

You are correct. The Pax Americana worked to win the Cold War and the small wars, though many, only broke out when America did not choose to stop them. Vietnam was our biggest mistake; the Arab/Israeli wars snuck by when we were too focused on Vietnam; Korea was imposed before we realized the extent of our obligations.

[@gyorgygajdos1657]

Where's the myth??? I can find out myself what Zeihan says. Where's your argument what is what YOU have to say?

[@Robau1]

The gentleman represents a generation of males SAVED from a world were they are drafted into service, thanks pax America.

[@joffrethegiant]

I'm here for any mention of the OSS.

[@Nukelover]

It didn't seem to be the purpose of the talk, but it would be nice if such things ended with a crack at a reasonable solution. We often hear people bemone one state of affairs or another (e.g. mideast conflict), or give an excellent history lesson, as shown here, but then often we hear nothing about a path forward that the parties involved can take seriously.

[@steverocicr2369]

This theology major is using Zeihan's name to get clicks. He cherry picks a few exceptions to the rules based order to say PZ is wrong, but does nothing to disprove the general accuracy of his argument.
Horseshit video.

[@joffrethegiant]

The CFA is a great outrage.

[@Robau1]

Almost as outrageous as an adult making an inflammatory statement without any evidence backing his supposed “outrage”.

[@kaltwies]

The USA entangling ourselves into foreign alliances is a violation of the fundamental principles our beautiful Country was founded upon.
Peter gives excellent lessons in geography and demographics. He confesses he’s an internationalist, Atlanticist and a huge fan of the Bretton Woods order and bemoans its collapse.

[@bonkersblock]

This dude read the book of Zeihan, I thought he’s making a valid rebuttal of his book? 😂

[@coffman1809]

So, what's your point? The US government acted on behalf of US political and economic interests. If long term planning was involved rather than post war opportunism, all the better.
Communism was the sworn enemy to western capitalism and were also engaged in covert operations to gain power and influence throughout the world. Zeihans interpretations on the development of the post-war Bretton Woods arrangement are accurate and that arrangement raised that standard of living through (mostly) peaceful means for much of the world up to this very day.
You make a lot of statements, but don't indicate what YOU would have done if you were at the helm of US foreign economic and military policy. Your next video (I did subscribe) should include your global policy strategy that would have made the US economy more robust than it is, in that same time frame. I would also enjoy hearing your political and economic policy recommendations for reindustrializing North America to produce the things we need for our standard of living if China and other non-western producers go into decline, as Zeihan suggests. I look forward to your future work.

[@Robau1]

All this guy did was cherry pick post World War II history. Did this guy support his pax America criticism?

[@Frederiknshansen]

Christians...

[@user-wb4cp7se7f]

The incel platform is strange