When borders close – flash back a century

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This analysis from The New York Times is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand how society is underpinned by its supply chains, and where these are going in the rapidly evolving new world order of Donald Trump, Brexit and what is next round the corner (because something surely is). There are frightening parallels between where we are today – in many respects still dealing with the aftermath of the 2008 financial crash – and where the world was in 1914, when WWI broke out, ending “an extraordinary four-decade period of rising migration and trade”, and laid the ground for two decades of protectionism and economic depression that culminated in WWII. “Today, 2008 looks to be as clear a turning point as 1914. With global demand weak, and many nations erecting import barriers, trade is slumping.”