Keep pulling the thread on Johan Norberg.
After World War II, the United States became the protector of a global, rules-based world order characterized by open seas and free trade.
Johan Norberg believes the Western world has shifted to a protectionist "Spartan mentality" over the past two decades.
China's Ming Dynasty implemented anti-globalization policies that included burning its fleet and maps and imposing the death penalty on international trade, leading to 500 years of stagnation.
The United States is growing weary of its role in leading the global order, partly due to a belief that European and other allies have exploited American military protection.
Johan Norberg predicts that the survival of the rules-based world order depends on whether European, East Asian, and Latin American nations step up to maintain institutions like the World Trade Organization.
The 2008 financial crisis significantly damaged American and Western self-confidence, while China's economic rise became a new source of geopolitical anxiety.
The "Anglosphere" golden age began in Great Britain with the Industrial Revolution, which led to the creation of liberal democracy and checks on government power.
The global financial crisis of 2007-2008, the COVID-19 pandemic, wars in the Middle East, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and migration crises are identified as key events contributing to a more fearful mentality in the West.
The American-led world order is characterized as a rules-based, liberal system that has enabled the prosperity of other nations in Europe, East Asia, and Latin America.
The Song Dynasty in China was on the verge of an industrial revolution 500 years before the British due to its open trade policies.
According to international ratings, Turkey and Hungary have experienced a dramatic decline in the independence of their legal institutions and media freedom.
The Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund is the most transparent fund in the world.