Geography Still Picks Winners

Despite technology, geographic advantage still matters enormously. Singapore became a global financial hub not because of policy alone but because it sits on the Strait of Malacca, through which 25% of all global trade passes.

Landlocked countries — those with no ocean access — remain systematically poorer. Most of the world's roughly 44 landlocked nations are still developing economies.

Without direct access to shipping routes, their trade costs are far higher, which slows growth for decades.