In “Palladium Magazine”: On the Demographic Roots of American Power

I have written an essay on the demographic roots of American power for Palladium Magazine, a (West Coast!) American publication covering the future of governance and society. The article looks at the place of demography in Amerian political thought and how a history of demographic dynamism, driven by both high native fertility and immigration, has been crucial to the United States’ rise as the world’s leading superpower.

Perhaps surprisingly, early American statesmen such as Benjamin Franklin were well aware of their country’s future potential based on predictable demographic trends. American leaders also stressed the importance of human capital and excellence in national development—ensuring the highest offices are staffed by the best and brightest.

The piece also discusses the geopolitical implications of recent demographic and reprotechnological trends. It is only in recent years that American fertility has consistently fallen beneath replacement level, with reproductive patterns converging with those in Europe and Russia. In addition, ultra-low fertility is spreading across the world, notably in China (now less than 1.2 children per woman). Governments are increasingly moving to boost fertility by enabling access to reproductive technologies such as IVF—which contributed 4.3% of births in Israel as early as 2013. Through genetic screening, reprotech also enables parents to reduce the disease burden among their children and will influence the gene pool of future generations.

Read the whole article and other essays released by Palladium!