Commentary
-
Our commentary partners will help you reach your own conclusions on complex topics.
Hey, everybody, Peter zeihan here coming to you from Ojai, California. And as promised, today I wanted to talk about demographics and Southeast Asia, a portion of the world that I think is gonna do very well in the decades to come. Now, if you remember correctly, when I did the first issue of this series, we talked about different population structures make for different economic structures. So if you have a lot of people aged 20 to 40, you tend to have a really strong workforce, and a good consumption base, because those are the people who are building their homes and raising kids. If you have a lot of people aged roughly 45 to 65, you tend to have a very productive worker base, because these are people with decades of experience behind them. And if they don’t have a lot of kids, all the income of the society that all the taxes generated, can be focused on infrastructure and on the job training making for a very, very, very skilled workforce.
One of the reasons I’m so bullish on Southeast Asia is because it’s got both of these imbalance. So on the bottom, you’ve got countries like Myanmar, and Cambodia and allow who are very child heavy, and they can be a workforce not just now, but decades into the future. So if the money is made available, if the regional demand for their services is there, you have a very large, low skilled workforce. In the middle, you’ve got a lot of countries like say, Vietnam, particularly, but also Indonesia, and to a lesser degree, Malaysia, who are a little bit older, don’t have a lot of kids relative to the overall population structure. But a lot of people who are aged 20 to 45. And these are countries that as a rule are kind of having their day right now, the more problems that the Chinese have with keeping investment, the more diversified folks are looking to make their supply chains globally, the better these countries look. Vietnam in particular, is getting in on this in a very big way with education. And about 40% of their college graduates are in STEM, you know, that’s like four times the global average. And then at the top, you’ve got a number of societies like Singapore and Thailand, which are aging pretty quickly, they had their day as a low cost wage destination a couple decades ago. And now you’ve got a lot of people who are in their 40s 50s, and even early 60s, their aging quickly looks a lot more like Northeast Asia than the rest of their neighborhood. But the accrued technical skills in these populations is huge. And plus, especially in a place like Singapore, and Thailand punches well above its weight as a mid wage destination. And having these all in the same neighborhood really helps with manufacturing. So one of the things you want to do for the more complex manufacturing products, whether it’s cell phones, or electronics or computing, is not everything requires the same skill set. The person who does the injection molding is not the person who does the wiring harness is not the person who does the chips is not the person who does the assembly. Each of these has a different wage structure. And in that sort of environment, variety is everything. And proximity is everything. And this is the world’s most differentiated workforce, all within the same region. So you throw a little bit of Japanese or American technology in there, maybe some Chinese assembly on the back end. And this area is set to boom. Best part yet. Because this region is made up of mountains and peninsulas and islands, and jungles, they’ve never had a history of going to war with one another because they can’t get any one another. So they don’t have the history of animosity that we see in say, Europe or Northeast Asia. Add it all up. And this is the part of the world that I expect to grow the most rapidly in the 30 years to come with demography at its heart. Alright, that’s it for now. See you next time.
-
US may need to find new sources of uranium
Russia is the world’s largest producer of enriched uranium, presenting a problem for U.S. supply chains as Western sanctions against Russia continue to escalate in response to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. In addition to uranium’s use in nuclear weapons, nuclear power provides around 20% of domestic American energy. Straight Arrow News contributor Peter Zeihan explains…
-
China’s Fujian aircraft carrier is nothing to worry about
A number of U.S. commentators have raised alarms over China’s rapid construction of naval military vessels — and about China’s supposed ability to outproduce the United States in any long, protracted conflict. Recently, China unveiled a new aircraft supercarrier named the Fujian. These developments coincide with increasingly aggressive Chinese naval behavior. Straight Arrow News contributor…
-
Russia unveils drone-resistant ‘turtle tanks’
The Russian military has unveiled a new drone-resistant tank, which has gained the nickname “turtle tank” due to its heavy shell-like armor and low mobility. While heavy artillery can stop the advance of these turtle tanks, Ukrainian forces have run desperately low on artillery and heavy munitions. Straight Arrow News contributor Peter Zeihan dives into…
-
Texas heat challenges a strained energy grid
As May begins, much of the country is experiencing the gradual onset of warmer weather. Texas is already feeling the full force of it, with temperatures in many areas reaching the 80s and 90s. During this time of the year in Texas, power grids can become strained due to increased demand spurred on by early…
-
Japan’s navy gets an upgrade
Following their defeat in World War II, the people of Japan pursued a largely pacifist foreign policy. Today, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and with near-daily news regarding China’s threatening activities throughout the greater Pacific, the Japanese are reinvesting in military defense and reaffirming their alliances with Pacific partners like Australia and the United States.…
Latest Stories
-
All 50 governors oppose Biden proposal on authority over National Guard
-
Chinese zoo admits to painting dogs to look like pandas
-
Amid battle for exposure, RFK Jr. accuses Big Tech of censoring latest ad
-
Chinese EVs flood European ports as some cars remain unsold
-
Partisan media coverage portrays Al Jazeera ban from different angles
Popular Opinions
-
In addition to the facts, we believe it’s vital to hear perspectives from all sides of the political spectrum.
Latest Opinions
In addition to the facts, we believe it’s vital to hear perspectives from all sides of the political spectrum. We hope these different voices will help you reach your own conclusions.
The opinions published in this section are solely those of the contributors and do not reflect the views of Straight Arrow News.
Latest Commentary
We know it is important to hear from a diverse range of observers on the complex topics we face and believe our commentary partners will help you reach your own conclusions.
The commentaries published in this section are solely those of the contributors and do not reflect the views of Straight Arrow News.
Peter Zeihan
Geopolitical StrategistChina’s Fujian aircraft carrier is nothing to worry about
Russia unveils drone-resistant ‘turtle tanks’
Texas heat challenges a strained energy grid
Dr. Frank Luntz
Pollster and Political Analyst‘We want to find common ground’: Gen Z’s stubborn optimism
‘Take the job seriously’: Why Americans are fed up with Congress
‘If we can shrink it, it will stop growing’: Americans talk debt, deficit
Pete Ricketts
U.S. Senator for Nebraska