Changes In A Post-Covid World.

In these days of messy transitional period I should not complain. There is work enough. Everyone who trades goods wants to go online. This means photo productions for catalogues.  But that alone is anything but sustainable. And sustainability is all that is needed.

Eventually, we will become a new regime which will arise on the ruins our free market economy, which has been successfully dismantled since the 1980s. And then, also this is an old story. The Romans responded to the death of their Republic with resignation.

Because we tend see only the potential gains from social engineering, but not the risks, my guess is that we will not change, and will evolve from citizens into subjects. We will console ourselves by awarding ourselves the status of  victims. So we will have moral superiority over our billionaire-rulers. And, they will find that hilarious.

Giving up on America is the easy way out. Of course financially US$ as a reserve currency is coming of age and its financial back will continue to invest in ideologies. The first sign of rebellions are written on the wall and the “security” apparatus is realising the beginning of many young people finding many grievances to vent their anger in this world. These Millennials are not disengaged and annoying anymore. They want change. Wait until a genuinely rebellious Generation “Z” can’t find stable employment, earn a decent wage, buy a home or start a family…

In Europe all this is more divided because Europe has become a nation of people governed by tribal truths. That means increased social conflict, because tribal truths are irreconcilable by logic or fact. A rebellion in Europe is far less likely. The little troubles in Britain about discrimination are not a rebellion, Also, in Europe most of the critics are made in “social” media. This is the reason why social media has become more an exchange of insults than useful dialog. The social media rather suffocate any form of serious rebellion already in the sprout. 

The two systems that were built from the second World War – the consensus of social democracy that morphed into neoliberal Capitalism – facilitated by globalisation is falling apart. Russia’s collapsing oil-dependent economy becomes reliant on China which is bringing Chinas sphere of influence to the borders of Europe.

Europe will see serious splits between the wealthy north and poorer south. A weaker south will have a softer approach towards instabilities to become more and more financial support from Brussels. At the same time the instability in West Africa and the Middle East will most likely rapidly rise because of demographic reasons. This could ignite an avalanche of currently 80 million people, displaced by war, violence and persecution, resulting in an increase in much higher migrant movements directed to Europe. 

Our failing systems of economic and political governance has proven to be fragile and unsustainable and has fragmented in front of us in a matter of weeks. Nothing less than a reboot is approaching. For those who see the status quo returning – a brutal awakening is coming. 

---