Bitcoin & National Security with Matthew Pines

 
 

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“A legit Central Bank, with a material amount of capital moving into Bitcoin, it was entirely a theoretical proposition. I think what’s happened in the past two weeks has made that now plausible… you could see it in the next year or two – that is kind of a game-changer.”
— Matthew Pines

SHOW DESCRIPTION

Matthew Pines is a Fellow at the Bitcoin Policy Institute specializing in national security. In this interview, we discuss modelling complex systems, current US national security priorities, and how Bitcoin can help maintain US hegemony.

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We live in unprecedented times. An emergent battle for hegemonic power is occurring during a period of unparalleled advances in technology that politicians are struggling to comprehend. What was previously deemed to be settled global economic and geopolitical strategy is now in flux. Up may be down. The unthinkable suddenly thinkable.

This is the environment in which Bitcoin, revolutionary money, is going through its puberty stage. It is to be expected that incumbent US (and other western) power structures are nervous about such an immature innovation, particularly in uncertain times. Yet, as counterintuitive as it may seem to them, Bitcoin offers significant strategic advantages for the US.

For Bitcoiners, the issue is not that a case needs to be made, but rather how that case should be presented and conveyed to politicians and bureaucrats. So far the message has been conveyed through grassroots advocacy: orange pilling individuals. But how do you orange pill the world's major power centre?

Bitcoiners are disrupters and predominantly work outside of the sphere of government. Bitcoin itself seeks to challenge the status quo. However, the government needs to hear the message in a language they understand, via channels they can trust.

This is the gap Matthew Pines is seeking to fill. And “Bitcoin and U.S. National Security” is the report that aims to orange pill the US government.

TIMESTAMPS

00:04:17: Introductions
00:04:43: Background to the show
00:12:14: Modelling scenarios and Bitcoin's antifragility
00:17:17: Matthew's Bitcoin story and personal thesis
00:24:07: Pros and cons of cronyism in the government
00:28:09: Biden's Executive Order TL;DR
00:31:58: Bitcoin education for government agencies
00:39:00: Matthew's reports and topics covered
00:41:03: Risks posed from China
00:47:17: Crypto dollarisation, stablecoins and CBDCs
00:53:19: Bitcoin monetisation and the US Treasury market
00:59:15: The battle for hegemony
01:08:44: Bitcoin as a viable alternative reserve
01:20:58: Wealth disparity and national security
01:24:40: The role of Bitcoin for energy security
01:28:21: Bitcoin driving industry and security incentives
01:33:26: The social and cultural phenomenon of Bitcoin
01:35:29: Bitcoin as freedom money and enabler of American values
01:40:35: Bitcoin risks and periods of disorder
01:48:38: Final comments

 

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SHOW NOTES

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Mentioned in the interview:

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