Hot Topix: The Balance of Power

00:00.15
Henry
I started recording I started talking before we were recording ah good old days here. We go stand by stop it. Oh shoot I've got to put the the thing over the vent hold on.

00:20.10
Henry
Ah.

00:29.96
Henry
Um, okay yeah, that's why they call me a professional in my professional studio.

00:40.21
Mike
And they call you a few other things but we'll let professionals stand for now.

00:43.79
Henry
Thank you Okay here we go hey everyone it's Henry Mike and Jeff of the decentralists and welcome to our latest podcast. It's a hot topics and the name is the balance of power. So. War in Ukraine is at a stalemate I think everyone knows that the the conflict in Gaza has occupied. People's attention funding from America is tied up in partisan politics in Washington and winter has truly arrived in Ukraine you know there's a palpable sense. That the world is on the brink of something terrible, especially at the specter of a second Trump preence especially at the specter of a second Trump pre especially at the specter of Donald Trump

01:36.70
Mike
Come on.

01:43.12
Henry
Getting okay I got it now especially be quiet, especially at the specter of Donald Trump becoming president once again Michael to quote Malcolm Gladwell the war in Ukraine is at a tipping point.

01:44.70
Mike
You and you're a professional.

02:02.50
Henry
What is meant by that and what's at stake in Ukraine.

02:07.76
Mike
Um, well Henry I mean first I'm going to go on record and say Trump's not getting be president yet. Um, you know we can all live in Wonderland um, but you know um I think that.

02:11.72
Henry
Oh boy I Hope you're right.

02:22.50
Mike
You know Malcolm Gladwell came up with this tipping point idea you know was it about ten years ago or something like this and you know it having been in Ukraine for the last eighteen months you know I've seen the good in the bad right? I was I was here for.

02:34.79
Henry
Who.

02:39.80
Mike
You know the mad rush last spring when they took back. Ah you know half the territory that the russians had taken and everybody was happy and everything was great and you know there was there was this this kind of palpable sense of you know something good was happening and and and this is I think what I what I what? I. What I think when I think of tipping point right now is we're as ah I almost want to say as a species you know you can you don't have to look far. You don't have to be you know super politically or anything aware but to to know that we're at a weird space. In and in kind of in time right now where where you've got this kind of battle between good and evil it's like a comic book but real where you have um you know you've got this war in Ukraine and you've got you know.

03:14.86
Henry
Here.

03:30.99
Mike
Like the all of the stuff going on in the persian gulf right? where they're flying drones into ships to disrupt stuff like this. You've got the the conflict ah of course in Gaza and just all of these different kind of wars and things like this that are springing up all over the place and getting through.

03:34.63
Henry
Um, yep.

03:45.13
Henry
And don't forget the climate crisis.

03:48.82
Mike
And there's climate and you know I mean there's just everything immigration right? How every day a boat capsizes with you know, a hundred people in a dinghy and they drown you know and you you sit back and you have to say oh my god like we're just we're doomed right? but I like to also think that.

03:54.34
Henry
Yes, yes.

04:06.93
Mike
We are also in a position where um, you know like like this this gladwell thing you can almost see that we're on this kind of a knife edge like a seesaw right? That's equal and one side is good and one side is kind of evil shall we say.

04:16.20
Henry
Are.

04:24.20
Mike
And so what you what have you got right now in this in this war in Ukraine. Okay, you've got immense casualties. You've got all of that kind of trench warfare and all of that stuff. But what you also have is I would say the the humbling is maybe a ah polite way to put it. Of 1 of the the one of the world's superpowers right? So before you know the invasion in February um, Twenty Fourth almost two years ago now you know there was America there was China and there was Russia.

04:47.26
Henry
Yep.

05:02.23
Mike
And and you know you would you would sit back and go these are the superpowers and blah blah blah and by by basically coming in and being I don't know maybe arrogant or just you know, just ah ill-informed the russians thought they were going to just walk in take everything over and they would just have another big chunk of Europe in their.

05:16.59
Henry
In three weeks are

05:19.40
Mike
In three days they said night three days and so where are we now we're 2 years in right? They have arguably you know, depending on numbers right? They've lost the majority of their military. They've lost the majority of their military hardware right? They're fighting with their dusting off like old world war two tanks and things like this I'm surprised I'm surprised I'm not using bayonets in the free trenches. This is exactly right when you're shopping for military hardware in North Korea

05:44.19
Henry
Um, oh yeah, and they're they're they're but but that's true and they're also buying from the North koreans.

05:54.20
Mike
You know you've scraped the bottom of the barrel. So so but but this is it right? So so if you think about it you can you can sit back and you can look at the way the world is and you can think oh my God we are totally screwed.

05:56.60
Henry
Um, yeah, especially when you know it's really Russian hardware that's very old and has been reconditioned.

06:10.24
Mike
Right? Donald Trump's going to become president. He's going to shut everything off, we're all going to you know any and he's going to turn himself into emperor and they'll never be an election again and every dollar bill in the states will be Donald and or you can think you know maybe the justice system. Maybe the the people in the United States will make the right decision and he won't get away right. And and you can think oh my god you know the war in Ukraine is going is is at a stalemate and there's all this stuff happening and and and you know Russia's going to win and now they're going to be even stronger and they're going to be a thousand kilometers closer to Europe how they're going to be right on the border of Europe okay, or and you've got China.

06:43.53
Henry
Who.

06:49.75
Mike
Right? rattling their saber at Taiwan but if you look at it the other way. Okay, so what have you also got you've got one of the superpowers that has hump that has basically been pantsed right? They've been exposed as you know, kind of a bit of a joke a sham they weren't what everybody thought they were okay.

06:52.29
Henry
Yep.

07:09.42
Mike
Um, you've got their military was supposedly super trained. Their equipment was supposedly great. It's not and they aren't okay. You've got ah you've got the the chinese who are apparently threatening and saber rattling with Taiwan but yet the majority of China's military ah the soldiers, the sailors. The pilots were trained by russians the majority of chinese military hardware. Is based on russian designs right? So now you've just by big by basically proving how useless or how inferior all the russian technologies in Ukraine. What are you thinking of if you're in China maybe you're a bit nervous right.

07:38.74
Henry
Um, right.

07:53.12
Henry
Yes, but but that may be the case but China is pretty darn good with technology and I have a feeling that they do what they do best and that is they investigate current technology and they improve on it.

08:00.60
Mike
And.

08:05.88
Mike
I understand right? I totally get it. But what I'm getting at Henry is that the way that we choose to look at the world right now is if everybody if you kind of feel like if you could motivate the entire population of this planet to just say okay. No more questions were going to support ukraine to to defeat Russia and remove a superpower from the map. Okay, they're gone all right? So now you no longer have a superpower you no longer have this organized group that's running around in Africa starting wars and.

08:30.10
Henry
Um, yeah, yeah.

08:40.24
Henry
Yeah.

08:42.27
Mike
And the Middle East starting wars and in South America starting wars and not to mention the whole propaganda engine disappears. So now you have this opportunity whoa. We could clear that all up and and you know and and oh and by by that happening.

08:50.56
Henry
Not a bad idea.

08:57.16
Mike
You've got China worried about their own population because they're basically all of these big property developers are bankrupt so this this miracle where they took all of these poor people and made them into middle class in 30 years is actually being exposed as being a scam. And their military saber rattling against Taiwan actually is based on a bunch of junk that's based on russian stuff. You know, maybe they're not actually going to do anything and you could start to think we could actually. If we did the right thing if if we if Trump's not elected if we get ah you know good politicians everywhere. We now have this opportunity to not be in a negative place in the world. We could be in a positive place in the world and it's just a few decisions that we have to make.

09:41.71
Henry
Who no, that's that's very interesting In other words, seeize the moment and ah in a spank the Russians for I mean literally their illegal invasion and um, set them straight. Ah.

09:46.39
Mike
That's my rant over.

10:01.66
Geoff
Well I'm sorry to be a little more cynical here. But why have we not spanked Russia why have we not spanked China why has India not spanked Pakistan why have the Middle East not spanked the arab nations not spanked Israel one word.

10:01.81
Henry
Jeffrey what are your thoughts.

10:21.62
Geoff
1 phrase nuclear weapons. These are all nuclear armed states that kind of you know we're we're all gen x maybe you know maybe Henry is eighty years old but we um, we're all gen x so we all we all remember.

10:23.64
Henry
Um, ah.

10:32.30
Henry
Point you to.

10:37.11
Mike
He's only 75

10:40.48
Geoff
You know when we were listening to pop songs in the 80 s they were about nuclear war ninety nine luft balloons and all these songs you know we we thought we were watching the day after you know the miniseries on Tv we were all convinced. We were gonna go up at a nuclear fireball and and that. Sort of went away with the fall of the Soviet Union but now those reasons you know it's it's all I won't say it's back, but that that threat looms over right? Why hasn't you know why isn't putin a skid mark you know in the history books. Well.

11:03.32
Henry
Um, yes.

11:18.87
Geoff
He's got a nuclear arsenal why is china why are we worried about China and Taiwan well China has a nuclear arsenal and back in the days of the Soviet Union they had a nuclear arsenal. We had a nuclear arsenal mutually assured destruction. Um, but they you know they weren't.

11:33.83
Henry
Right.

11:38.53
Geoff
They weren't interested in chaos. They were interested in a world order and a balance of power. No that doesn't mean there weren't skirmishes over Cuba and Angola and back and forth and you know areas of influence and Afghanistan and blah blah blah blah blah.

11:44.97
Henry
Yes. Afghanistan.

11:58.18
Geoff
The world's been burning since it's been turned and but you know but the the soviet unless there was some mistake they weren't going to launch their nukes and today no one feels quite so easy about that I think China is probably reasonable. They just want to go and do their thing. But but even so they're they're a nuclear power. so so I think that's what kind of prevents us from spanking. That being said I don't understand why in Ukraine. Um, we haven't at least gone all in with all conventional weapons in the west available. To just sink every ship to let Ukraine see every ship in the black sea and let them you know? truly you know, truly hit back but nevertheless so and and even then I think it's probably because of nuclear weapons.

12:37.72
Henry
Yes.

12:52.52
Henry
Yeah, well, that's ah, that's it's probably true. Well on that. Okay, considering that gentleman and ask you Michael and then I'd love to hear what? what you think Jeffrey ah.

12:58.78
Geoff
Sorry to deposit everybody.

13:01.39
Mike
Or limited or.

13:08.84
Henry
What happens if Russia wins or what happens when they lose obviously there's going to be completely 2 different world orders. But what are your thoughts Michael.

13:20.63
Mike
Um, okay, so first Russia will not win. Um, ah so um, but okay, let's think in some fantasy land where they do um then we've tipped the knife. We've tipped the balance of power to evil. Um.

13:22.39
Henry
Good.

13:38.60
Mike
If if Russia was to win and or at least or hit some kind of negotiated North Korea dmz along the Denniro River kind of agreement especially before November when the US presidential elections are in then it guarantees a Trump victory.

13:45.61
Henry
Um, yeah.

13:56.36
Mike
And ah, you know then you know god knows what happens in the United States and we might as well all be running for the hills um, because you know if you're not living in the mountains somewhere or on an island in the middle of nowhere. You know it's just it's the cockroaches and cats that are going to be left.

14:02.54
Henry
Yeah, yeah.

14:16.24
Mike
Um, but you know when when Russia is defeated okay and and and I'm going to go on record here and say I do not believe there will be a military defeat of Russia in Ukraine I really don't I think there will be a regime change in Russia.

14:32.35
Henry
The.

14:35.10
Mike
That will basically bring so it could be anybody. It doesn't even matter if it's Al Capone comes back from the dead. It takes over as the leader of Russia he's going to be like the stupidest thing I ever did was throw a bunch of people in Ukraine I don't need it and they're going to pull it and now you reset the borders of Europe.

14:50.56
Henry
Um, yeah.

14:54.79
Mike
You point a bunch of these highmars. They're already here at Russia you park them on the border of Ukraine you say stay where you are and I think that I think that those 2 things are are um are real I mean I actually believe that there's a real chance that. There's going to be regime change in Russia a real chance. Um I actually think that there's a real chance that you know there could be a stalemate that's basically forced forced upon Ukraine um to just you know, essentially from an economic thing right? Donald comes in.

15:22.60
Henry
Um, yeah.

15:30.65
Mike
He doesn't want to put any more money. Why am I spending money on people in Ukraine blah blah blah and all this other kind of stuff and so that he just cuts everything off and the rest of the world says well we can't do it without America so let's just negotiate some peace Putin giggles into his into his empty room right? at the end of that at the end of that novelty table.

15:48.16
Henry
Um, yeah.

15:50.64
Mike
And um, now he's so now he has another 10 years to build up a real military with real equipment with real training and we are all done.

16:01.11
Henry
Um, yeah, and take over the rest of Europe what happens if they yeah if they lose.

16:08.20
Mike
They they will lose and I think what happens Henry is that you you will see clearly regardless of how they lose it will be There will be a regime change right? I mean Putin's bet everything on this. So if if the russian militarily. If the russians militarily lose in Ukraine putin will be gone or he'll be gone and then the russians will pull out and that'll be the end of the military conflict and I think I think that that is probably an issue for another podcast.

16:36.79
Henry
Ah.

16:41.50
Henry
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

16:43.30
Mike
Because I actually believe that there's this balance of power and this tipping point analogy also applies to Russia because I you know what? I mean like you kind of you know you think about you know back twenty thirty years ago when Boris Yeltsin was done and.

16:51.85
Henry
Um, oh no question.

17:01.62
Mike
Putin kind of became the president or whatever prime minister of Russia he could have done. He could have he could have easily taken all of that natural resource wealth that Russia has and he could have converted the country into the United States or into a modern. European right? come to country where they had the best universities and the best communications and the best that's what China done what China did right played that game where there there's kind of still a communist government but they're basically all driving around at Ferraris and wearing Gucci loafers.

17:23.86
Henry
Yeah, yeah, and yeah, yeah, and embrace capitalism. Yes, yes, yes.

17:37.70
Henry
Um, yes, yes, he could have been there. Yeah, oh yeah.

17:40.19
Mike
So you know your best of both worlds and if he had done that imagine what Russia would be. They would be a true superpower and so you know that decision bank then to kind of continue this this mob state kind of thing means that when they lose. There's going to be a very interesting opportunity. There's already been some articles written about you know there's there's the the rebuilding of Ukraine right? But then there's we also need to be prepared to rebuild Russia.

18:14.33
Henry
Who I see well Jeffrey ah, what do you think those 2 questions if Russia wins and when Russia loses.

18:16.27
Mike
Nip but.

18:21.60
Geoff
Well I think it's excuse me just a moment I think it is I think it's worth spending a couple of minutes talking about you know how long putin will remain in power and whether putin can can get pushed out of power and I think. I think time moves so quickly history comes by so quickly we forget things very fast. But last June there was a rebellion in Russia. The wagner group was you know, rolling heavy armor towards Moscow um.

18:49.16
Henry
Yes.

18:57.69
Geoff
I'm Goingnna pronounce and a butcher' name now. But I think you have Guny Pragosian was his name running. You know who who air quotes mysteriously died in a plane crash couple months ago. Um, but that that was unsuccessful. So I I don't think.

19:02.45
Henry
That's it.

19:08.77
Henry
Um, well we know what happened.

19:17.39
Geoff
I don't think Putin being kicked out through a coup or through anything internal is is likely he's just he's well to assassinate him you have to get close to him you need somebody who can you know, get close to him with a gun or.

19:23.55
Henry
What about assassination.

19:29.78
Henry
Um, yeah.

19:35.28
Geoff
Or a bomb or something and and take him out and getting close to him if you're not part of his trusted inner circle is is almost impossible. So.

19:36.14
Henry
Um, yeah.

19:42.21
Mike
Um, see like i' going to interject here because I think there's an air pipepe somewhere I think we just need to do an Eddie Murphy somebody needs to find out in the middle of somewhere in Moscow there's ah, there's a pipe sticking out of the ground. It's the air holele for Putin's bunk stick a banana in it like on you like like Eddie Murphy did on Beverly Hills cop and putin's done. How hard is it.

20:02.10
Geoff
Have you have you emailed that plan to the Cia have they gotten back to you on on how they feel about that.

20:06.75
Henry
You get on that mic.

20:07.35
Mike
I Ah they yes ah yes, no, no yeah yes, basically I I did I did send it to them. But I have not received a response magically. But.

20:13.54
Geoff
Know now Putin is 71 and there's persistent rumors of health problems. The way he looks suggests that he I think he might be on some steroid treatment. There's all these you know all these rumors about about his health.

20:14.46
Henry
Okay, okay, no.

20:28.38
Henry
Yeah, who.

20:30.54
Geoff
So the problem might be self-corret living in Russia isn't exactly good for the health so it is it is entirely possible that this the problem could self-correc within a year or two. We just we just don't know so. So I think we have to assume that putin is going to be around for a while and I think Putin you know, grossly overestimated what was going to happen with the war on Ukraine and I think the only way he will stop fighting is if there's some way where he can save face.

21:03.45
Henry
Right.

21:05.45
Geoff
Where he can claim you know Ukraine territory whether he can he can somehow say this was a you know a great great victory now the problem is why why should we let him do that. Why should he be allowed to have any of the land in Ukraine why should.

21:13.20
Henry
Yeah, successful campaign.

21:24.50
Geoff
You know he he was the aggressor but I I do I do see that it will probably just grind to grind to a stalemate um but and and yeah you know you're there Mike you can correct me if I'm wrong I don't believe Ukraine has had a full.

21:24.33
Henry
Yeah.

21:41.83
Mike
No no.

21:42.46
Geoff
Like a full draft a full call up of you know of everybody but but once you know if that starts to happen. Ah you know and and you may see another stream of people desperate to escape Ukraine like people trying to leave to to prevent being sent to the front I mean it's just. Um, you know it's just a pretty a pretty depressing situation. So I you know unlike Mike I'm not there I don't think I don't think Russia will win but I don't think Ukraine will win either I think it will probably grind to to a stalemate at some point with. With a dmz just as just as Mike said and what is again what is kind of unknown here is is that player China right? China wants Taiwan China's watching this all very closely. Um, you know what? what might China do um.

22:22.26
Henry
Um, yeah.

22:39.50
Geoff
The other problem is Ukraine is the breadbasket for Africa so we have already had 1 season of aborted ah shipments of grain the growing seasons to post start up again soon if that's blockaded again, you know more of a tragedy there. So ah.

22:48.28
Henry
Yeah, it's a tragedy.

22:59.16
Geoff
You know that may you know that may push something to at least open the sea lane. So that grain can flow flow south into Africa.

23:07.77
Henry
Okay, so the big question. How do we ensure that when the world tips over this precipice. It tips the right and just way Michael what do you think.

23:24.22
Mike
Um, well I kind of alluded to it a little bit earlier right? Um, so you know I think that um it's it's ah I have a very simple instruction for everybody who's listening and or whoever listens to this is um, focus On. What is there to win Not what is there to lose right? I mean winning takes effort. It takes it takes resolve. It takes focus and it takes well. But it's know, but it's it's not don't even think it's a money thing henry.

23:53.32
Henry
Takes money.

24:01.41
Mike
I Mean money is just money is just the lubricant in the engine right? It's it's it's the will right? and this is kind of part of the thing that depresses me about what's going on right now with all of this you know.

24:03.83
Henry
If.

24:15.43
Mike
Equivocating over they're going to send the short range. Um high mars missiles if they had sent the long range one that Kiurch Bridge would have been blown up a year ago and there would be there would have been no supplies into crime mean peninsula for a year right? if they had done that imagine where we'd be now.

24:22.69
Henry
Right.

24:35.36
Mike
And and so you know what what? really bonders me is is yeah you know there's there's probably I don't know how many people listening to this um have any have have a father or a grandfather who fought in world war ii right? who fought when the last time europe was basically at war. And on fire and at risk of literally like you know global extinction. The only difference is there were no nuclear weapons back in those days and you know and and I think that that what what's it? What people need to do is they need to think? ok. If. We remove if if we support ukraine like 100%. We basically just go out there and and it's not It's not because it's Ukraine I and I kind of want to just take a second here you know Ukraine is just a proxy.

25:27.91
Henry
Yes.

25:29.49
Mike
I mean maybe yes I'm a ukrainian canadian it's it's a personal thing. Whatever but you know there are conflicts everywhere but this is a proxy because it's convenient. It's in Europe. It's right next door to Poland and all these Nato countries. It is an opportunity for people to say I don't care. Who you are what what political party you belong to I want you to empty every single freaking vault of weapons bullets you know anything that's needed to basically help the ukrainians win this war because we need to remove one of these superpowers. We don't need superpowers in this world anymore. We. It's all based on military. So I think that people need to think what is the positive here right? How can what could happen right? I believe that I don't believe the nuclear weapons are really an issue because.

26:07.76
Henry
Who.

26:25.16
Mike
What's the point of using it. You just kill everybody well that that doesn't do anything. It doesn't help you. It doesn't it's no benefit. So I don't think they're actually usable I think what we need to do is people need to go if we support ukraine and we remove Russia China now is off the table.

26:32.87
Henry
Okay.

26:43.21
Mike
Because they'll take ten or fifteen years to just rethink everything right? and in those ten or fifteen years you could see that the the toppling of the chinese communist party because of all of the economic problems. They've put their people into right.

26:58.00
Henry
Ah.

26:59.29
Mike
I mean China does it. China's got 1000000 people in their armed forces or something like 5000000 or something like this right? 5000000 soldiers in a country of ah of a billion people if nine hundred and ninety five million people line up and say we're taking you down and we want a new government. Do you think that government survives not a chance. So I think that I think that we this is what I'm saying I think we're really really are on a knife edge and we have just as much chance to make this world positive and really positive.

27:17.62
Henry
Okay, during.

27:32.97
Mike
And and and and if we believe that and we believe that that's a better outcome than a negative world then just believe it and and vote and use your feet and your voice and your social media and whatever to support. The the side of the right the side of peace not the side of war right.

27:50.52
Henry
Um, yeah, let's yeah, let's get it done.

27:51.52
Geoff
1 is what is infuriating is if you look at the republican party in the United States I mean the republican party thinks that its its voters are obsessed with signs on bathroom doors and cross-dressing story or time and so on. But really. Republican voters are concerned about 2 things security and the economy. You know when they roll up their ftwo 50 at the gas pump to fill up before they go to Walmart for bag of dog food. They you know they care about those gas prices and and for security they're obsessed with. You know terrorist attacks and you know prevent basically bad foreigners doing bad things. Well Putin unchecked runs rough shot out over both of those things right? I've said before that Putin loves chaos and instability.

28:37.10
Henry
Ah.

28:46.91
Geoff
You know that directly affects American Security greatly affects just you know, just how they can go through day-to-day lives feeling you know, feeling comfortable and and feeling safe and they're basically protected by a tremendous security apparatus that they don't know anything about.

28:47.29
Henry
Yep.

29:06.59
Geoff
And and with the economy I mean we saw that with the combination of covid and the and the the invasion of Ukraine you know what that did to 2 prices and sent inflation skyrotting. The us is is probably still recovering from that. Well. What keeps prices down a global world order that is peaceful, global free trade and you know scenarios where ships and products can move freely around the world and and safely so if if the.

29:31.77
Henry
Yes.

29:43.30
Geoff
Republican party was truly interested in in giving their and I'm not saying they are giving their voters what they want then they would then they would say we you know we oppose these strongmen like Ukraine we support we support a global world order. Sounds so negative but I mean a global world order that supports democracy freedom that supports you know a social safety net with a free market capitalist economy and you know and the path to that is to just squash these guys you know.

30:10.50
Henry
Yes, yes.

30:19.58
Geoff
Under our thumb and boost up Ukraine boost up Taiwan and you know and and make it clear that that is the you know that Taiwan is the future. Not the ccp and and it should and it should not be China's

30:32.86
Mike
Hallelujah hallelujah.

30:37.61
Geoff
Culture invading Taiwan should be Taiwan's culture invading China and unfortunately you know as we saw with Hong Kong that's it's not what happening but you know so so in terms of what can you do you can promote that message you can promote the message that.

30:45.42
Henry
Um, yeah.

30:54.91
Geoff
Security and economic strength come from you know, just pushing these people back where they came from shoving them back into their caves and making sure they go away and can't cause trouble for anybody.

31:08.72
Mike
For excellence.

31:08.76
Henry
Yeah, no, excellent. Um, okay so a final question. It's ah, kind of philosophical but based on what we've spoken about is world peace. Truly possible or are we all doomed to a to an eternal background radiation of war and violence I know what I think um but I'd love to hear Mike your thoughts and and Jeffrey.

31:35.29
Mike
Um, okay, so um I I will say unequivocally 100 % yes we can have world peace. Yes, we can get along you know and and I'm gonna just I'm going to just I tell this story every once in a while but I'll tell it again right now. So there was back at the end of Obama's presidency and Obama you know everybody liked Obama's a nice guy and everything like this but he made some big mistakes right? He made some big mistakes kind of geopolitically and stuff like this. Um, but at the end of Obama's presidency they did ah there was ah there's a world peace index it's probably some un agency that does it or whatever right? where they manage where they basically monitor the the number of active conflicts in the world. It was the most peaceful.

32:19.97
Henry
Um, right.

32:31.86
Mike
The world has ever been since they started monitoring this stuff which was like you know fifty sixty years ago so Obama's done he hit his. He gets succeeded by guess who Donald Trump right

32:48.97
Henry
Um, yeah.

32:50.65
Mike
And Donald Trump comes in and through his campaign and when he's in power. He's talking about just the barbarians at the gate. Everybody's out to get us. There's terrorists everywhere. There's all of this There's all of that. And mysteriously we go from the most peaceful we'd ever been to the to this imaginary and I don't even know what the peace index is now but I guarantee it's way. There's way more war now than there was at the end of Obama's thing and and so it it was all just made up. We we just read these feeds and it's like oh it's just made up. So I think philosophically um, you know we we just all have to choose what side of the world are we on and this is not just. You and me and like the 3 of us as podcast hosts and and you know general garden variety yahoos but central bankers around the world and politicians and presidents and and everybody needs to decide. What do they want this world to be.

33:57.75
Henry
Er.

34:00.40
Mike
Do they want it to just be um I just want whatever I can get as much as I can get and I don't care about everybody else or do we want some place where you know everybody has a right to live. Everybody nobody has a color or a religion or a race or a gender. They're just people and we can all just live in peace and thrive as long as we're as long as we're basically willing to not you know, pick up a gun and go after somebody else. I Really think it's possible I Really truly do and I think that people are going to be listening to this going. You're nuts have you seen what's going on right now. But I Really believe that we are fundamentally on on this precipice where we could end up.

34:31.62
Henry
Ah.

34:51.20
Mike
Like six nine months from now or a year from now we could be living in freaking kumbaya in utopia we literally could be right. We could be and and I I actually believe it's true and I think it's in our power to actually get there. If we can just stop thinking about ourselves and our petty differences and and the labels that we put on each other or we put on other people and just sit back and realize what do you want? where do you want to live? Do you want to live in a world where you have to carry ah a gun. Strapped to your freaking waist publicly visible so you can wander through a bunch of you know other guys with guns like this and just say you know we got a fifty fifty chance of killing each other or do you want to live in a world where people are just people and and we're not fighting each other.

35:41.77
Henry
Right.

35:45.96
Mike
I really think we can be there and I think we could just change everything i' I I'm usually not that this positive Henry as you know I literally feel like I'm I'm you know I'm doing kumba ah in ah in ah in a you know some kind of weird cult somewhere. But it's it's i.

35:55.23
Henry
Um, nine I know.

36:03.33
Geoff
I don't I don't remember I don't remember a lot of quotes from various people. But there's a few that resonate and Mike mentioned Obama and Obama used to use use this quote a lot from Dr Martin Luther King Jr

36:03.76
Henry
Ah, okay, okay, but thank you? Ah Jeffrey what do you think.

36:05.69
Mike
I Think we can get there and.

36:20.85
Geoff
Like probably knows where I'm going, but the quote is the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice so you know if you think about you know in 151 there was a war that stretched from turkey to Africa to Belgium.

36:28.38
Henry
Um, yeah.

36:40.44
Geoff
First world war and then twenty years later once it wrapped you know there was another world war from you know Hong Kong to across the you know cross everything that was basically not North America and

36:41.47
Mike
Yep.

36:47.42
Henry
Yep.

36:56.82
Geoff
You know, um and we haven't had World Wars since then we've had skirmishes. So I you know I do think that. Um you know that that it that the arc of the moral Universe does bend towards Justice and you know and I do. I Do remain cautiously optimistic that if we just step up we can We can crush these guys and and we can move forward together and and I think you know we are more of a global community now than we have ever been before and.

37:32.65
Henry
Ah.

37:32.77
Geoff
Or we can do that the better.

37:34.10
Mike
100%

37:38.75
Henry
Ah, well gentlemen I Hate to be the negative one but I have to tell you I don't think that humans um, will ever be fundamentally peaceful and and I'm sorry to say that but that's.

37:51.53
Mike
Now come on Henry.

37:56.87
Henry
That's what I believe because there's always going to be some crazies and then others that will follow them.

38:01.16
Geoff
So what you're telling me is you're more of a Star Wars fan than a star Trek fan I Want it.

38:05.41
Mike
Totally I mean come on Harry I mean they the the reason why people write about utopia is because it's possible.

38:15.98
Henry
Um, oh that would be wonderful.

38:17.81
Mike
So I mean that's something to think about why do people write about it. It's because because it's possible and and and and I'm not saying it's utopia I'm not saying that the planet we live on is ever going to be utopia right? but.

38:21.39
Henry
Um, yes, well.

38:34.50
Mike
Um, you know if everybody just kind of sat back and said you know what all I care about is that I turn this planet into utopia and I'm just going to act Accordingly we would it. It would change overnight. It would change overnight. It's that easy.

38:45.61
Henry
Are.

38:50.71
Mike
We just all need to understand how powerful each of us are as individuals because there's some politician out there that wants my vote. So I'm going to make sure that Politician knows that I want utopia.

39:00.87
Henry
Gentlemen I have to thank you. That's a great way to end I don't know what's going to happen in the next few months a few years but let's just hope that this precipice in the tipping point. Goes in the direction. We all want. Thank you Mike thank you Jeffrey.

39:18.24
Mike
Absolutely.

39:19.32
Geoff
And I hope we haven't hope we haven't made you need to go and seek how to drink Henry.

39:24.50
Mike
Physics. Yes yes, Henry.

39:29.29
Henry
Ah, absolutely not I'm loving the positive vibes. Thank you gentlemen.

39:32.46
Mike
Absolutely thank you Henry! Thank you Jeffrey later.

39:36.68
Geoff
Bye for now. But.