At greater length: The Mahablog, which links to a Krugman interview transcript. If the gift link has expired, or you're functionally illiterate, the audio.This point is not original to me: Other than the computer/phone you are reading this on, you probably can easily reach and touch something made in East Asia that is made of plastics or synthetics. Those things are petrochemicals, which means that the base material is oil.That oil comes from the Persian Gulf.
The last tankers that made it through the Strait of Hormuz before the war started are either in port or are making port. Since almost nobody keeps large supplies of raw materials on hand anymore (the whole world has gone just-in-time supply), the plastics makers are in trouble. That effects almost everything. Think of all the stuff that comes in plastic containers and bottles, like your prescriptions.
All of that stuff will be in short supply. Even if the war ends tomorrow, it'll take months, if not years, to get everything back to where it was.
Saturday, May 2, 2026
Not Just Fertilizer: Everything
by
M. Bouffant
at
22:26
90+% plastic, & virtually all made in The People's Republic of China.Exceptions: The ruined depot was "Made in Western Germany", possibly in the 1970s; the black switching loco was made in Austria in the '80s or '90s. This scout car was "Produced in the Netherlands and Vietnam"& the water tank was "Made in Vietnam", both very recently, I assume. Not that where it's made will make any difference when the raw materials run out.
Truth & Facts from Comrade Misfit:
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