Is the world community so interdependent on each other that no one country can exist on its own?

Question

I had previously posted a question asking what the global outcome would be if less people would die while the birth rate stayed the same (within their respective countries).

If there was for some reason, a situation where nobody traded goods with each other, who would be the ones left standing?
(ie - middle eastern countries have oil/gas, but not much food variety)
Will technology be put on the back burner in exchange for a more agrarian way of life? Would we as a race be able to uphold the civility that we built up to that point, or would we actually degenerate to a world much like that in Mad Max? Would the documents in which each country was built upon still be valid or followed? Would people be torn between their Country and their Motherland...and would they/you decide to stay or go knowing that you may have family there?

Answer 1

If trade were to suddenly stop between all nations, the big globally connected cities would be reduced to barbarism in short order. Even the largest food supplies do not last long amongst millions of people.
On the other hand, those regions that are currently somewhat agrarian would probably continue along quite happily.

I do not think the modern society of the 'first-world' nations would survive de-globalisation. The entire economic and industrial infrastructure depend too much on foreign imports.

But perhaps larger regions working together (or under a single Emperor) would be sustainable. Europe as a whole has most of what it needs to keep going, as does north america. India and asia, I suspect would suffer massive famine as their imported food runs out, but after a population adjustment would be able to sustain a society as rich in culture, if not in technology as they had in the 18th century.

Answer 2

It's not exactly interdependent on each other for survival but rather for commercial purposes or, as one puts it, for trade only. One country trades its products or produce with another country's own resources for profit. But each country can survive on its own if it uses its own natural resources, uses its own technology, its own manpower or expertise to full advantage and for the good of its people. Then, there will be no need for imports or exports or human exodus to other countries in search of greener pastures. If each country does its job well to provide, to protect and to utilize the potentials and expertise of its people, that country can and will survive. If, like you say, the middle east has its oil/gas, for other countries which do not have these natural resources, they can always make do with what they have like wood for cooking/housing or, develop/improvise like utilizing the water from coconut to make alcogas to run vehicles/machineries. In a crude way, like it was in the prevailing years, use carts/wagons/wooden seacrafts for transportation.

Answer 3

Not at all, it is more of a balance, preference and socio-economic thing and then theres the interest in things from another place style etc aka preference and choice...