The World Is Crumbling: What Does It Mean for Trade & Entrepreneurs?
“The world is crumbling” is, semantically, a rather dubious statement.
The world is the same (human beings populating the planet, going through generational changes of technological advancement, with somewhat stable border delineations of the past 85 years, one generation in reality – think of it, it was only eight decades ago that we witnessed parades of independence, and new independent countries and their borders emerged), but the notion of order and our longing for one is in jeopardy.
The level of anxiety among the masses (all of us, nothing derogatory about being part of heterogeneous communities built on shared historical memories, racial, tribal and religious affiliations) is at its highest level because in 2026 the masses are literate and have access to the internet. Think of the aftermath of the Thirty Years’ War in Europe – one of the most transformative periods in continental Europe – the map of the world and “international” institutions changed dramatically. How did it impact the masses? Slowly, at the speed of information spread (speed of a coach-and-four, sometimes - oxen).
And yet today, people are anxious. Today for many "staying oblivious" (not in the know) and off-grid and off the internet appears to be a true privilege. Whilst not everyone can comfortably and safely move off-grid, the former part – containing news exposure (unless you are a policymaker or a journalist) – is very doable, and one is responsible for one's own peace of mind.
To matters more concrete, to matters of business.
What do our shifting times mean for business, supply chains, and entrepreneurs?
One would say that, in our globalised world of the GATT/WTO, common markets, etc., etc., the time of overextended supply chains is over. In late 1990-2000s liberalism effectively equated “sovereignty” and one's ability to procure at any market conditions.
Whilst it wasn't primarily the trigger, it certainly served as a symbol of paradigm's end: Israel's special operation against Hezbollah using pagers, specifically intervening in the product supply chain - that was a wake-up call. Every sovereign government, even if taking matters more lightly before, has now received a wake-up call on how vulnerable one's sovereignty is without developing greater self-reliance. And what becomes a priority even at the higher cost of borrowed capital - creating a network of complex supply chains, leveraging those emerging mega-routes and creating shadow routes of its own, through a system of bilateral rather than multilateral trade agreements.
What does it mean for our coined “masses” and human potential? It means opportunities. With the system of international trade being restructured and increasingly more things to be localised, a great realm of opportunities is emerging for entrepreneurs to build grassroots systems, capture local/provincial trade and create in-country value.
The world order might be drawn on a chessboard or poker cloth, but it is the map of opportunities that each and everyone with an entrepreneurial spirit and zest can draw for themselves.
