THE traditional face of survivalism is that of a shaggy loner in camouflage,
holed up in a cabin in the wilderness and surrounded by cases of canned goods
and ammunition.
It is not that of Barton M. Biggs, the former chief global strategist at Morgan
Stanley. Yet in Mr. Biggs’s new book, “Wealth, War and Wisdom,” he says people
should “assume the possibility of a breakdown of the civilized infrastructure.”
“Your safe haven must be self-sufficient and capable of growing some kind of
food,” Mr. Biggs writes. “It should be well-stocked with seed, fertilizer,
canned food, wine, medicine, clothes, etc. Think Swiss Family Robinson. Even in
America and Europe there could be moments of riot and rebellion when law and
order temporarily completely breaks down.”
Survivalism, it seems, is not just for survivalists anymore.
Faced with a confluence of diverse threats — a tanking economy, a housing
crisis, looming ...