I found the book "Why Nations Fail" to be both credible and a perfect companion to Jared Diamond's "Collapse". The authors worked together during their careers, and while "Why Nations Fail" sometimes contradicts "Collapse" there is enough overlap that makes it plausible that both books have something to contribute. They say the past is prologue, and in this case, I find these books are both prologues to an unfortunate future, roadmaps of misery and warfare as nations fail yet again, but on a global scale. "Why Nations Fail" points to private property and a fair and binding legal framework as some of the main reasons that some nations rose and some fell, he gives example of England and countries in South America to illustrate the points, and I believe he is largely right. Diamond, on the other hand, points to the increasing distance between the rich and the poor and the willful ignorance of the rich to see the growing plight of the poor, while they devastate resources to sate their desires and turn to God to cynically clean up the messes they have made until external enemies or fed up, and starving citizens revolt. In either case, both books point to a grim future for the US as the bedrock principles we depend on to keep society together are abandoned to satisfy the rapacious desires of the 1% while freeing them from the need to be bound by the law.

I recommend both books, particularly the chapters on Easter Island. We can actually see our leaders doing the same stupid things in real time.