While most of the arguments regarding Russia seem probable, I don’t think Brexit will cause more countries to quit EU. After Brexit, the whole world can see that Britain’s economy is in tatters. That will be a lesson for everyone and will make people want to vote to stay together. The author should acknowledge this negative feedback loop when he presented a scenario that he felt was probable.

Trade and globalization is a unifying force! Once people are used to the extra resources they gain from trade, they become interdependent and it’s hard to live without each other. This will reduce the chances of war.

The way I see it, the biggest concern is if people who work reasonably hard do not have a path to success. Note: Inequality itself is not a concern; the concern is if a lot of hard-working people start feeling like there is no path to success no matter how much they work. As long as people have a path to success, they will be better off focusing on their own success; they won’t get angry and will vote rationally. Unfortunately, the huge inequality has caused a lot of ordinary people to feel like they can’t succeed in the current system. So they vote for a new system without thinking about the consequences.

Another point to note is that young people in Britain voted overwhelmingly for remain. Young people in US are overwhelmingly against Trump. This bodes well for our future :-) Perhaps the young haven’t yet lost their hopes for success and are therefore thinking more rationally.