This Bitcoin Study Sessions episode features a discussion between the hosts and Lucas about Matthew Pines' essay "Great Power Network Competition and Bitcoin," focusing on Bitcoin's potential role in geopolitical strategy and network power competition.
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Summary:
The podcast begins by introducing Matthew Pines' essay, "Great Power Network Competition and Bitcoin," which explores the concept of global competition being primarily over networks, including trade, finance, and digital infrastructure. Network power, according to Pines, is the ability of a state to surveil and control global networks, enabling intelligence gathering, influence, and the imposition of sanctions. However, networks are dynamic and tend to route around control and abuse, as exemplified by the debanking of Russia from the SWIFT system.
