One has to watch what is going on in the world and wonder,if we have Really learned from the past,or are we actually on the verge of a societal collapse? Also with the current state of international affairs one has to wonder if a collapse does occur will it be international in scope. We are so politically and economically intertwined today that I am not sure that if any one of our large economies truly fails, that it wouldn't mean just utter chaos for the rest of the world. Economically and politically I think in our current state of affairs it could literally throw the world off balance just enough to cripple whole segments of the world and then the world.
I am also not sure that all of the effects would be instantaneous, one might say that a ripple on a pond effect might be more how i see it. But imagine if you will I throw a hand full of rocks instead of a pebble. I think this more accurately describes our current international interdependence. Whether we like it or not we need each-other.