America First?

Or the end of empires?

Successful empires throughout history have had to either physically prevent exit (closed borders, travel restrictions) or make exit seem impossible through propaganda and control of information. When these mechanisms fail, imperial control becomes significantly more challenging to maintain. The US has maintained a dominant position over other countries through its currency. When there is an exit from that system, the empire will fail, but globalization will remain.

Supply chains remain, and some countries will make things that are not economically feasible in another country. Americans don’t want to build iPhones or make sneakers for $5 an hour. Countries will not easily replace pharmaceutical and aerospace products without a highly educated workforce. Bottom line, although the age of empires is coming to an end, the interconnectedness is not.

What is globalization

Globalization refers to the increasing interconnectedness and interdependence of the world’s economies, cultures, and populations, brought about by cross-border trade in goods and services, technology, and flows of investment, people, and information.

At its core, globalization involves the expansion of economic activities across national boundaries, including international trade, foreign direct investment, and the integration of financial markets. It also encompasses cultural exchange, movement of people, and the spread of knowledge.

Empire Building in a Multi-currency World

In a world where currency dominance and currency manipulation are no longer tools for control, empires will find it increasingly difficult to “dominate.” While there will be a wide range of strengths and weaknesses, a national global reserve currency is a losing strategy.

Why?

A currency exit strategy is being rapidly adopted by businesses, nations, and individuals alike. What we’re calling “de-globalization” is really the latest version of imperial systems restructuring. When empires can no longer maintain their economic advantage through global systems, those systems begin fracturing.

The current system maintains advantages for Western countries through currency manipulation, IMF/World Bank policies, and financial instruments rather than direct colonization, creating what Alex Gladstein calls an economic “cast system” of currencies with the dollar at the top. Bitcoin enables individuals to opt out of these imperial cycles peacefully, shielding themselves from the inflation and disruption that typically accompany such transitions.

A Perspective where de-globalization isn’t just an economic trend but a manifestation of changing power dynamics in the latest iteration of imperial systems. Rather than just the end of interconnectedness, it’s the potential end of a particular form of interconnectedness that was designed to benefit certain nations at the expense of others.

Our global economy is so deeply interconnected that trying to forcibly separate it through nationalist policies, tariffs, and sanctions creates more harm than good. The natural interdependence between nations, markets, and financial systems can’t simply be legislated away.

The US and its allies have built a system where some nations prosper at the expense of others, which ultimately creates instability that affects everyone, the cycles of imperial rise and fall lead to repeated crises that harm ordinary people everywhere.

Instead of competitive currency manipulation, trade barriers, and economic domination, we need systems that allow all participants to benefit fairly from global exchange. Bitcoin offers individuals a means to shield themselves from the financial repercussions of these imperial cycles and construct a more equitable system from the ground up.

It’s not about American ideals vs communist ideals, it’s pragmatic. “Humanity First” isn’t just morally preferable; it’s more stable and sustainable. The alternative is to continue these cycles of imperial rise and fall, which create tremendous disruption when they inevitably collapse.

The old system of one country or region dominating others through financial mechanisms is increasingly a relic of the past in our interconnected world. A truly functional global system would benefit everyone, not just a privileged few nations.

There are several fundamental reasons why the old system of financial domination by one country or region is becoming impossible to maintain.

Information Transparency: Digital technology has dramatically increased visibility into financial mechanisms. When countries manipulate currencies or impose unfair trade terms, it’s now quickly detected and publicized, making it harder to maintain these imbalances without public scrutiny and resistance. The Arab Spring was driven by the shutdown of internet access.
Complexity of Global Supply Chains: Modern production is so deeply integrated across borders that attempting to disrupt these networks causes immediate and widespread economic pain. For example, when tariffs are imposed on components from one country, it affects manufacturing across multiple nations in ways that are difficult to predict or control. Auto parts move back and forth between Canada and the US multiple times before they become a car.
Increasing Economic Multipolarity: Economic power is more distributed today than at any point in recent history. China, India, the EU, and various regional blocs possess significant economic leverage, making unilateral dominance by any single nation increasingly difficult. Triffin’s dilemma has gained renewed attention as it highlights the drawbacks of the United States’ currency dominance.
Bitcoin creates pathways around traditional financial controls. When central banks or the IMF attempt to impose conditions, individuals and even nations now have alternatives that didn’t exist before. El Salvador is currently pushing back against the IMF in ways that were previously not possible. Other countries that previously had little choice but to accept unfavorable economic terms are now increasingly able to opt for alternative alliances that better serve their interests.

In essence, as a global community, we are coming of age. Still in the throes of adolescence, but faced with a world that is wildly different than our global childhood. No longer subject to the dictates of a single monetary authority, Bitcoin gives people or entities viable alternatives, which fundamentally limits how much power can be exerted over them. This is why empires historically worked to eliminate alternatives — either through military conquest, economic sanctions, or other forms of isolation. When a nation or individual can preserve their wealth outside the dominant system (through Bitcoin or other means), it reduces their vulnerability to economic coercion. This ability to exit the financial system provides leverage.

The internet and digital technologies make it increasingly difficult to maintain information monopolies that empires historically relied upon. People can learn about alternatives and coordinate outside traditional channels. When people can exit, imperial systems must compete for participation rather than forcing it. This drives improvement and reduces exploitation, as the dominant system must provide genuine value rather than wealth extraction to retain participants.

Simply knowing that the exit is possible changes power dynamics. Even if most people don’t immediately exit, the knowledge that they could creates a constraint on how exploitative a system can become.

This is why truly successful empires throughout history have had to either physically prevent exit (closed borders, travel restrictions) or make exit seem impossible through propaganda and control of information. When these mechanisms fail, imperial control becomes significantly more challenging to maintain.

The emergence of borderless technologies, such as Bitcoin, represents a potent form of exit because they cannot be easily contained within traditional territorial boundaries, creating what some call “sovereignty by algorithm” rather than geography.

So the “New World Order” is not about winners and losers, it is about everyone winning.

Bitcoin is a protocol, like the protocol that enabled email, and the World Wide Web protocols have a very long life; they’re not a flash in the pan tech like compact discs. Anyone who studies the Bitcoin protocol will understand it was designed to be indestructible, secure, and last a very long time. Inevitably, it will bring freedom values like transparency, open access, and valuing people over borders.

These “Freedom Values” will not be met with enthusiasm in China, North Korea, or Russia. Countries that rely on controlling their people by controlling their money will find it hard to adjust to this new reality of free, open, and neutral digital money.

When we look back at the events of the past few weeks, Trump’s tariffs were reversed because the one entity he could not bully, “the market,” said “no.” Okay, so many of us said no, but it’s a sign that open markets have a power greater than any nation, regardless of its military might. The market knows the truth, irrespective of the propaganda; it supports itself at the expense of those who do not respect it. A Neutral Global Currency strengthens markets, which is beneficial for everyone.