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When Spain and Portugal Went Dark… My Phone Kept Us Global

Mariano Bernardez
Apr 30
2 min read

By Mariano Bernardez, Kaufman Center Think Tank

Last week, colleagues across Spain and Portugal suddenly dropped off the map. The cause? A massive blackout. No lights. No Wi-Fi. No laptops. No Zoom.

But, against the darkness, one small blue glow remained: smartphones.

While the power grid failed, globalization didn’t. I was still receiving texts, WhatsApp messages, and shared documents from Lisbon and Barcelona. One of them even commented wryly: “We’re back to candles—but with 5G.”

It was the perfect metaphor for my latest piece: "Economy Under Candlelight" — a journey through the ideas that lit (or failed to light) the modern world.

✍️ Candlelight Economists, Enlightenment Lessons

In this essay, I explore how Smith and Ricardo outlined capitalism and free trade in the dim glow of beeswax and oil lamps — and how those ideas later flourished under the full glare of electricity, science, and global connectivity.

In contrast, Malthus, Hegel, and Marx, working under the same flickering conditions, cast long shadows — predicting collapse, worshipping the state, or imagining revolutions that never came.

Then came Benjamin Franklin (with his kite) and Thomas Edison (with his bulb), who didn’t just bring electric light — they helped wire the world for liberal democracy, innovation, and eventually, AI.

💡 From Candles to Data Centers

Today, electric light doesn’t just brighten homes — it powers the servers that train artificial intelligence, sustain digital trade, and connect billions.

As Steven Pinker reminds us, science, reason, and global collaboration drive real progress, not slogans, tariffs, or tribal flags.

So yes — Spain and Portugal went dark. But the light of globalization 2.0 — even if it fits in your hand — stayed on.

🕯️ Candles are romantic... until they’re all you have.

As I write in the essay: