Judging by the recent news, slavery is alive and well at this day and age. According to the latest international survey on offer, there are more than thirty-million slaves around the globe today. As some sources point out, modern slavery generates more than thirty-billion dollars annually. In a number of socio-economic environments, slaves can be an attractive investment because all that owners have to pay for is sustenance and enforcement. Forms of modern slavery are apparently quite a few. Some have deeper roots, such as slavery by descent, bonded labor, child slavery, and forced marriage. Others are of more recent origin, such as sex slavery and forced migrant labor. The latter seems to be growing especially rapidly as an ever-larger number of people is becoming dislocated.

The geographic distribution of modern slavery is of considerable interest. The latest numbers suggest that more than fourteen-million people live as slaves in India. Next comes China with more than three-million slaves. After Pakistan and Uzbekistan, with more than two-million and one-million slaves, respectively, there comes Russia with more than one-million slaves. These are staggering numbers, indeed. Much is being done around the world to better track and combat modern slavery, and some countries are quite successful in driving it down or even eradicating it entirely, but much remains to be done, as well.

What I am concerned with is future slavery, though. It can only grow with ravages of climate change and war combined. Also, increasingly difficult economic conditions can only drive down the costs of sustenance and enforcement. And so can the lack of other options for all concerned. All things considered, slavery appears to have a bright future, and especially in the countries where it is prevalent at present. This is where the institutional basis of slavery is already entrenched. In addition, countries like India, China, and Russia are likely to usher the rebirth of feudalism before any others. Dramatic climate change and war could only speed up this process. Under the wing of feudalism, slavery would flourish quite rapidly. In due time, but well within the lifetime of many people alive today, it could become the very foundation of socio-economic order once again.