From Castles to Cannons: 2010

I wrote an article shortly after 9-11 that had the same title. It talked about how a sea change had happened then. That by flying planes into buildings like that a type of innocence and trust had been lost among mankind. It could be likened to when cannons were first used on castles and knights wearing armor and when pistols and rifles penetrated armor worn by knights. Everything changed overnight.

Today here in 2010 Globalization is doing the same thing to the nation state. Though some nations like China and India are better positioned by lower labor costs to take advantage of it, they likely will be in for even a worse psychological wrench than the U.S. and Europe and Japan as they watch the havoc that globalization will wrought on their nations. Though the U.S., Europe and Japan and other industrialized nations will suffer in one way, still they have infrastructure that hasn't yet been developed by China and India and other fast developing nations to the same degree.

So all nations should consider the "Castles to Cannons" adage because we are all there. We may all experience globalization differently. But Nothing will ever be the same again just like when cannons were invented and no castle could ever be a useful defense ever again.