The End of the World Is Just the Beginning: Mapping the Collapse of Globalization

“Thirty years on from the Cold War’s end, the Americans have gone home. No one else has the military capacity to support global security, and from that, global trade. The American-led Order is giving way to Disorder.”

The US enabled global trade after World War II by ensuring the safe transport of ships and opening its domestic market to foreign goods. With global trade in place, a complex division of labor existed in which world economies became intertwined. Globalization would end with US withdrawal, resulting in a de-globalized world.

“Having a slow-moving desert river running through the hearts of our first homelands enabled humans to relocate everything from where it was in surplus to where it was in demand.”

Transporting goods and people via water is much easier than over land. As a result, areas that had internal waterways were geographically advantaged before the period of globalization. With the return of de-globalization, geographic challenges would again become relevant.

“The American story is the story of the perfect Geography of Success. That geography determines not only American power, but also America’s role in the world.”

Geography has enabled the US to have dominant roles in both global trade and a de-globalized future. The US has fertile farmland, inland waterways, and very secure borders, which make it geographically advantaged. Additionally, the shale revolution has made the US the largest single-country oil producer.