My fourth book, The End of the World Is Just the Beginning: Mapping the Collapse of Civilization is scheduled for release on June 14. In coming weeks we will be sharing graphics and excerpts, along with info on how to preorder.
We find ourselves at the tail end of a globalized world order. To visualize where we stand temporally, in relation to the vast course of human history, I have pulled this graphic from my upcoming book, The End of the World is Just the Beginning. Since the implementation of the Bretton Woods system post-World War II, countries have generally been capable of developing trade relationships the world over with security guaranteed by the US military. Over the past several years we have seen an acceleration of this system’s dissolution; supply shortages, inflation, and geopolitical instability do not bode well for the prosperity of a globalized economic system.
The era to come—the post-globalization era—will not be implemented by decree. Rather it will be a gradual transition, a transition we are currently undertaking. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will not cause deglobalization; it is a symptom of deglobalization. The path we are on is clear: globalized trade will be replaced with a handful of regional trade systems centered around a dominant power—the US, France, Japan, etc. Do not expect to wake up one day to the news that the world has deglobalized but recognize the events that push us closer to the inevitable. In The End of the World, I map out the impending collapse of our global economic system focusing on agriculture, energy, manufacturing, transport, and industrial materials.
