Re:Jeff Bezos Becomes the Richest Man in Modern History, Top...
by lev99 on Monday July 16, 2018 @07:04PM
(#17545926)
I suspect national guard forces would make the backbone of several armed factions.
Endgame for the 1% is being in a position to gain the spoils of war and to take less damage than your competition.
Re:Jeff Bezos Becomes the Richest Man in Modern History, Top...
by nostrademons on Monday July 16, 2018 @07:14PM
(#17545980)
Or defectors from the military. That was the case in both the Syrian Civil War, the breakup of Yugoslavia, and the first American Civil War - the nucleus of armed resistance formed around former military men who couldn't raise arms against their countrymen.
Private security forces and tech/AI are wildcards - we haven't had anything like the former since feudal mercenary days, and we haven't had anything like the latter ever - but could also form the basis for power centers.
Any conflict where the U.S. disintegrates will likely spread worldwide, too, as other nations take advantage of the power vacuum to press their own claims. So emigration is unlikely to be a solution for people who wish to remain neutral.
The endgame for the 1% is likely to become lords or petty kings of little feudal domains. They may offer to provide security services to their employees in exchange for economic service. They wouldn't be global titans of industry, but they'd be heads of their little fiefdoms. The smart ones will avoid major military action, instead only clearing the local area around their corporate offices of populist insurgents. If the insurgents want to fight other insurgent groups, that's their business; they can all kill each other off.