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slash disclosures. Hi, everyone. Welcome to the A6 and Z podcast. I'm Sonal. And today, Michael and I are

talking to Parag Kunna, who's a global contributor on CNN. He's a senior fellow at a school of

public policy at the National University of Singapore. And most interesting to us is he recently has a

book out, a new book out called Konectography, which is about mapping the future of global civilization. But more concretely, Parag, a new book out called Connectography, which is about mapping the future

of global civilization. But more concretely, Parag, it's about how connectivity and the supply

chain you argue are really the driving forces more than geography, more than anything else,

for the world. Absolutely. Well, thank you for having me on. Well, I guess I would kick things off.

I think it'd be great for, you know, we have a tendency when we talk about the topics, these topics to be very grandiose. Like, we got to connect the world and technology can break down these barriers. And I think we'd like to take a step away from that and really dive into what's been happening. Like, what's the evolution that we're talking about? The supply chain, for example, like I think one of the most interesting ideas you put forth is that

this historical evolution of the supply chain. Can you talk a little bit more about that?

Sure. And there's no reason not to be grandiose. I write books with neologisms and we're terms

like global civilization. So I'm hardly one to shy away. I aim at the 100-year perspective, but also there is

lots of granularity in the argument. I think, you know, it is true that though when you're in

the valley and you're talking about connectivity, of course, your first instinct is to think about

digital connectivity and the internet and your mobile phone. And all of that is true, but the

internet is actually only the newest layer of global

infrastructural connectivity. And, you know, the fundamental argument is there is the most powerful

force of this century is connectivity. But that connectivity falls into three categories. There's

transportation, energy, and communications. And that evolution that you asked about

begins in the late 19th century with intercontinental and cross-border highways, and then, of course,

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