Japan, the longest-standing depopulator, has remained one of the world's largest economies despite demographic decline, offering hope that the same might apply to Taiwan, South Korea, and Northeast Asian tigers.

John Quiggin claims that the fertility crisis is bogus because raising children costs more than caring for old people, making replacement-level fertility economically irrational.

Australia's fertility rate was about 3.5 in the early 1960s and is now about 1.6-1.8, having temporarily increased to 2-2.5 in the 2000s, primarily due to the Howard government's baby bonus policy.

Australia has paid maternity leave, family tax benefit allowances, and subsidized childcare, yet fertility continues to decline, raising questions about whether government spending on family support can reverse fertility trends.

Government spending on NDIS, Gonski schools funding, aged care, and childcare is going through the roof as percentages of GDP in Australia, creating fiscal pressures that compound depopulation challenges.

Artificial intelligence, robotics, and information technology combined with ending the one-child policy could boost China's demographic levels in coming decades, according to CCP officials.

There are pressing problems the US faces including human resource problems (life expectancy decline, stalled educational attainment, falling fertility, Southern border collapse) and budgetary problems that Eberhardt has written about.

Neil Ferguson argues that a great power that spends more servicing debt than on defense won't remain great for long, raising concerns about US fiscal sustainability.

A decade ago, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the greatest national security threat to America wasn't China, Russia, or Sunni jihadists but toxic political polarization in Washington (the two square miles between the Capitol building and White House).

China's legal retirement age has been unchanged for over 70 years: 60 for men, 55 for women (white-collar), and 50 for blue-collar workers; these guarantees apply only to state-owned enterprises and some municipalities.

Robert Kagan argues that a reelected Donald Trump could create or bring about fascism in the United States; Ed Luce says America could be on the cusp of civil war.