by Peter Zeihan on October 10, 2024

You’re receiving this video a week after its initial posting on Patreon. If you’d like to get access to this content as soon as it’s released, along with a number of other exclusive perks, click the link below.

LINK FOR THE PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/peterzeihan

Back to the picket lines we go…this time with the longshoreman. Ports across the East and Gulf Coasts of the US will impacted by the strike, disrupting nearly two-thirds of the imports and exports by water.

European manufacturers are going to take a hit on this one, along with the US agricultural industry. We’re not just talking a couple days sitting in limbo either, even if the strike ends today, we’re still looking at weeks to clear the backlogs.

The unions’ demands on this one are pretty hefty; we’re talking about a 70% pay increase and a ban on automation at ports. In an industry that’s already plagued by slow advancement and limited automation, this ban would set the US way back. On top of that, the Jones Act has exacerbated the inferences of shipping in the US. So, we’re not talking about a duct tape solution here, its going to be a complex one.

There’s always a way forward, so what does that look like? Manufacturers can brush up on their Spanish and become friends with our neighbors to the South and/or they can build some more warehouses and stop relying on just-in-time supply chains. But that’s costly and inefficient, so expect some economic hurdles along the way.

Please click below to watch today’s video

YouTube Video Link: https://youtu.be/4rOWmyvc3sk

We appreciate the interest and engagement from our followers, but with Peter’s travel schedule and sheer volume of requests, we are unable to answer non-business-related questions via e-mail. Use the ‘Ask Peter’ page below for your video topics, ideas and burning questions…

Here at Zeihan On Geopolitics we select a single charity to sponsor. We have two criteria:

First, we look across the world and use our skill sets to identify where the needs are most acute. Second, we look for an institution with preexisting networks for both materials gathering and aid distribution. That way we know every cent of our donation is not simply going directly to where help is needed most, but our donations serve as a force multiplier for a system already in existence. Then we give what we can.

Today, our chosen charity is a group called Medshare, which provides emergency medical services to communities in need, with a very heavy emphasis on locations facing acute crises. Medshare operates right in the thick of it. Until future notice, every cent we earn from every book we sell in every format through every retailer is going to Medshare’s Ukraine fund.

And then there’s you.

Our newsletters and videos are accessible for free and we will never share your contact information with anyone. All we ask is that if you find one of our releases in any way useful, that you make a donation to Medshare. Over one third of Ukraine’s pre-war population has either been forced from their homes, kidnapped and shipped to Russia, or is trying to survive in occupied lands. This is our way to help who we can. Please, join us.