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In this episode, I sat down with John Rapley, who co-wrote “Why Empires Fall.” The conversation kicks off with a bit about how John and his co-author, Peter Heather, came up with the idea for the book. They realized that even though they came from different academic backgrounds, they had similar ideas about how empires rise and collapse—whether we’re talking about ancient Rome or today’s Western world led by the US.

John explains that empires get rich and powerful by exploiting their “peripheries” (i.e., colonies or less developed countries). But over time, those peripheries grow stronger and can eventually challenge the empire’s dominance. In Rome’s day, this happened with actual invasions, but now it’s more about economic competition and shifting global power.

They talk about how the Western world isn’t necessarily doomed to collapse like Rome did, mainly because of technology and ongoing economic growth. However, if Western countries make poor policy choices—like trying to recreate past “greatness” without adapting to new realities—they could end up in serious decline, both relative to other countries and in real terms.

https://x.com/jarapley

00:00 Periphery's Rise, Empire's Decline

06:54 Managing US Global Strategy Shift

12:07 "Fragmenting Western Empire Dynamics"

16:21 Post-Brexit Soft Power Decline

25:22 "Bretton Woods: Catalyst of Collapse?"

28:48 Global Trade: Shifting Power Dynamics

33:34 Global Trade Dynamics Disrupted

41:02 Rethinking Trade and Manufacturing Strategy

44:57 Brexit and Europe's Brain Drain

52:16 Currency Debasement and Worker Taxation

54:29 Bitcoin Million Possibility: Economic Implications

01:00:04 Debating Western Decline Analogies

01:05:23 Western Decline and Global Power Shift

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GameStop are buying Bitcoin. I can't quite believe it. It's been a long time since I first saw some Apes meme that GameStop should buy bitcoin. I don't think they ever really expected it to happen. And yet here we are... Waiting for the announcement that GameStop bought Bitcoin from Ryan Cohen - hopefully at the Bitcoin Conference in Las Vegas.

So who better to invite onto the podcast to dicuss GME going long on BTC than John Waldron, Irish Bitcoin Guy, who was part of a group of people trying to get the company to seriously look at this proposal. If you want to know how we got here - then this is the place to start.

https://x.com/johndtwaldron

00:00 GameStop and Bitcoin: A Full Circle

10:03 Revised Shareholder Proposal Submission

11:49 Email Miscommunication Frustrations

16:31 GameStop Follows Bitcoin Pioneer

22:23 Curiosity About Investor's Success

29:10 GameStop Shareholder Involvement Sentiments

35:06 Bitcoin: The Future of Authenticity

41:30 Yanis's Dismissal of Bitcoin

46:32 Bitcoin Investment and Strategy Plan

49:35 "Rethinking Central Bank Digital Currencies"

58:06 Bitcoin as Political Empowerment

01:02:10 "Questioning Reality and Financial Stability"

01:06:01 "Decoding Bitcoin Intentions"

01:11:22 "Bitcoin's Impact on Companies"

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Today I was joined by Professor Brunello Rosa, author of the book Smart Money to discuss digital money, CBDCs (Central Bank Digital Currencies), and how China is winning the race for the future of money! We break down what a CBDC really is, why it matters for our future, and how China is already light-years ahead when it comes to digital currency. They are 10 years ahead of the West in the development and practical role-out of digital money.

We’ll explore the privacy concerns surrounding CBDC's and programmable money. Are CBDCs a threat to our freedom or the natural next step in the evolution of money? Why is the West lagging behind China, and what does that mean for the global balance of power?

💸 Don’t miss out—subscribe and hit the bell for more in-depth conversations about the money of tomorrow!

#CBDC #DigitalMoney #China #SmartMoney #Fintech #Crypto #Podcast

https://x.com/brunello_rosa

Smart Money: How Digital Currencies Will Shape the New World Order - https://amzn.to/4jGDPLq

00:00 Analog to Digital Transition

07:59 Defining Digital Identity

14:03 CBDC Privacy and Control Concerns

19:01 Digital Currency: Privacy vs. Control

22:02 Central Bank Counterparty Management

30:31 "Phone Dependency and Innovation"

36:36 "Web 3.0: The End of Salaries?"

41:45 Escaping Machine-Driven Work Cycle

45:01 Central Bank Oversight on Transactions

52:24 Dollar Dominance vs. Renminbi Challenges

53:37 Digital Infrastructure and Currency Strategy

01:00:41 "Future of Digital Currency Evolution"

01:07:38 Changing Perspectives on CBDCs

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