Step 7: The USA Titanic
Ever made your way from the engine room to the bridge on a sinking ship? No, me neither. But generally, it won’t do you much good. The ship’s going down. Ray Dalio, a very smart man, has an unfortunate message for the USA: it’s going down. It had a fine run. But empires rise and fall. They always do.
And the worst thing you can do after spending all that money on a military to protect your interests, is to rely on that very expensive and ultimately useless military to prevent your decline. The USA is finding that out in real time as we write this (March 2025).
Russia has survived an extraordinary assault by the West and is growing. BRICS is rising. The world is watching the West—home of empires for two thousand years—and frankly, it’s not weeping as the West declines.
Europe, hitching itself to the US bandwagon—a post-WW2 phenomenon—has, through its own greed and delusion, been crushed under the American behemoth.
As the US subsides, its new president is determined to exert classic financial and military pressure. The world doesn’t care. It’s had enough. Every measure enacted is just one more reason to walk away from the USA.
The only good news for the USA is that Europe will feel the pain—has been feeling the pain—far sooner.
But if you want a symptom of the future:
ChatGPT is an incredible tool, a true achievement.
And a little company in China, as a private venture, released an Open Source alternative for a fraction of the research cost.
DeepSeek isn’t ChatGPT, despite what people say, but it’s close.
Ray Dalio: The Changing World Order. He’s a very smart guy. He doesn’t know much about some things shaping the world, but he knows a lot more than most.
So, if your business relies on the USA or the West, well, you’ll probably be fine for a decade or so—long enough to secure that nice pension.
Your children though? Better hope for a revolution… AI, spiritual awakening, alien intervention, second coming of Christ—take your pick. Because old-school empire isn’t looking good right now.
But hey, as always, it's nothing to worry about. I’m probably wrong. Relax, and get on with your day.