GEO-POLITICAL TURMOIL Instability, Fragmentation, Resource Wars

By Gordon T Long

with Charles Hugh Smith & Gordon T Long

21 Minutes, 19 Slides

SOURCES OF INSTABILITY

FAILED Governments/States

North Korea,
Venezuela,
Pakistan, etc.
- Weak Institutions & Corruption
- Failed Political Governance
  - Failure of Central Planning Model
  - Failure of Neo-Liberal Model of Capitalism
  - Global Supply Chains Under Pressure

FRAGMENTATION of nation-states assembled in the 20th century by the Great Powers

Iraq,

Syria, et

ISIS

DIVIDED Geopolitical loyalties of traditional states

Ukraine

RESOURCE WARS

ENERGY and transport of energy (Ukraine, Iraq, Africa, China-vs-Rest of East Asia, etc.)

FEWER resources (food, water, energy)

SHORTAGES / RISING PRICES of resources

INSOLVENCY of Nations/Governments due to unpayable debts (Greece, Cyprus, etc.)

OBSERVATIONS

Each source of instability generates regional instability that disrupts other nation-states and attracts wealthy-states/quasi-Imperial interventions that further destabilize the region.
The likelihood that all these interlocking sources of instability will go away naturally or be resolved is low. Predictability is also low as instability is intrinsically non-linear.
National and global instability caused by eroding purchasing power of currencies; as currencies lose purchasing power, imports become prohibitively expensive, triggering higher prices and shortages that exacerbate wealth/income inequalities.