As in the early 20th century, the elemental forces of globalisation have unravelled broad solidarities and loy... — Pankaj Mishra

As in the early 20th century, the elemental forces of globalisation have unravelled broad solidarities and loyalties.

Author: Pankaj Mishra

Insight: When everything connects, it's strange how much more alone we feel. This observation cuts to something happening right now: as trade, information, and people flow more freely across borders, the old anchors—your industry, your neighborhood, your nation—have stopped holding us together the way they once did. A factory worker in Ohio and one in Vietnam aren't automatically enemies, but they're also not comrades anymore. The solidarity that once bound workers, or citizens, or entire regions has fractured into something messier. What makes this insight sting is that it's not pessimistic about connection itself. The problem isn't that we're linked globally—it's that those links are mostly economic and invisible. We're entangled with strangers, competing with them, dependent on them, but we don't share the language of common purpose that earlier generations had. When your job can move overseas overnight, when your industry can be disrupted by someone you've never met coding in a garage thousands of miles away, that erodes trust. You start protecting your immediate tribe instead of believing in broader movements. The non-obvious part? More information and access haven't made us more united—they've made it easier to see everyone else as a threat or an outsider. We need new forms of belonging that match how the world actually works now, not just nostalgia for the old ones.