But if the world does enter a new era of barbarism, we will be the first ones out of it for a number of reasons:
There are still a number of Americans who remember what self-reliance is like. They will form farms and defensible areas in a still very productive Midwest.
The Europeans will return to fighting amongst themselves: French against Germans against Brits, etc.
The Chinese will retrench behind the great wall and their history of self-sacrifice and self-abnegation - besides, they have a rapidly depopulating Russian Siberia right at their doorsteps to plunder if necessary.
Lastly, the Muslim Arabs will immediately sink back into the nomad sands with no one to buy their oil - they lack even the rudiments of science, agriculture or even culture for that matter to keep them together if the fit hits hits the shan.
Yes, it will be bad. But the US (with Australia and maybe New Zealand) are best equipped to deal with the coming apocalypse.
Can we pick this up later?
“They will form farms and defensible areas in a still very productive Midwest.”
I follow your post generally, and broadly agree if it comes to that pass. I just want to point out that most Red State areas will be mostly surviveable. Cities would need a cordon sanitaire around them, but most Read State areas, Midwest, West, and South, will do . . . much better, in a general meltdown, than Blue State regions.
Won’t. Be. Pretty.