This is an opinion piece by Pierre Corbin, the producer and director of the documentary “The Great Reset And The Rise of Bitcoin”.
The properties of bitcoin make it the ideal asset to gain sovereignty. But this is not only true for individuals. It is as important an issue for nation states as it is for the citizens of a nation. On an individual level, the privacy attributes of bitcoin, the fact that it cannot be censored, and the protection it can offer against a devalued currency are often seen as the most important aspects. For some current economies, especially those that have been victims for decades or centuries of a form of colonialism, bitcoin could represent the hope of a new, uncontrolled and directly profitable industry at home.
The case of American expansion in Central America is interesting, since it began less than half a century after its independence. In 1813, the Spanish American Wars of Independence were underway. After the French invasion of Spain in 1808, the weakness of the Spanish Empire provided an opportunity for Latin American countries to defend themselves and gain their independence. The United States watches, from a distance, but with growing interest. It also presented an opportunity for other European nations, particularly France and England, who saw the potential to increase their influence in the region.
The United States will not allow that to happen. Shortly after gaining independence, the nations of Central America began to look to the United States for protection from the nations of South America and Mexico. Mexico is more aggressive with the Central American nations because Spain has a stronger influence there. Starting in 1822, the United States recognized the independence of these new nations, which triggered a series of events:
In 1823, the United States published the Monroe Doctrine, which essentially asked the world (especially European colonial states) to leave the Western Hemisphere alone. That same year, the countries of Central America, following the example of the United States, created the Federal Republic of Central America, also called the United Provinces of Central America, where they united to create a single republic. This union was short-lived due to many conflicts of interest, opinions, etc.
Over the years, territorial tensions grew between the United States and Mexico, especially over Texas and California: the United States was trying to become a continental nation and reach the Pacific Ocean. The British Empire strongly supports Mexico (the British are the first European power to recognize her sovereignty), and this relationship further increases existing tensions. These tensions eventually led to the United States making its first of many appearances in Central America, during the Mexican-American War.
The conclusion of the American Civil War ended slavery for the United States, which required a change in the approach that the United States had towards the rest of the world. They began to take an approach to investing abroad. As Walter LaFeber explains in his book “Inevitable Revolutions,” in the 1890s the United States was investing in banana and coffee plantations, railroads, gold and silver mines, and, a few years later, in public services and government bonds. LaFeber points out that by the start of World War I, Americans had already built the main productive institutions on which trade and even the economic survival of a Central American nation depended. Between 1897 and 1908, US investment in Central America increased sharply, from $21 million to $41 million, and by the eve of World War I it had reached $41 million. Instead of government securities favored by the British, more than 90% was invested in direct ventures such as mining and banana plantations. Between 1897 and 1914, US railroad holdings in Guatemala totaled $30 million, nearly reaching London’s $40 million.
A large part of the Central American economy was built and oriented solely on US exports. Let’s see some numbers for each country, compiled by LaFeber in his book:
Central America as a whole would be devastated if the price of coffee and bananas suddenly fell on world markets. Because they had gained so much power in Central America, many US investors would share in the disaster. This has happened repeatedly when the United States has been involved in other international conflicts, notably World War I and World War II. The industries of Central America were devastated, leaving millions of people in extreme poverty because, during the war, the United States no longer needed coffee or bananas. This caused local governments to go further into debt (borrowing from the United States) and become even more dependent on the United States, which had the effect of enslaving them.
Roosevelt said in 1905 that henceforth the United States would play the role of policeman to keep order in the Western Hemisphere, but this term allowed American presidents to intervene according to whatever criteria they were creative enough to devise.1 These reasons included securing investment, securing the canal, acting as a “natural protector” and replacing the declining British presence. This opened the door for the United States to deploy its military forces in the region, without any other power being able to stop them. By then, however, more serious problems were beginning to simmer in Europe, with the First World War at hand…2
To defend the resources that the United States had captured in Central America through corporate nation takeover, the United States government had to increase its political influence in the region. Thus began a century of military involvement, political involvement, manipulation, creation and financing of gangs and militias by the United States.
Let us not fool ourselves into thinking that they do not use the same influence today. Laura Jane Richardson is a general in the United States Army and commander of the United States Southern Command. She recently said the following, speaking of Latin America3:
“This region is so rich in resources that it is unbelievably rich. And they have a lot to be proud of. And our competitors and adversaries also know how rich this region is in resources. Sixty percent of the world’s lithium is in the region. You have heavy crude oil, you have light sweet crude oil, you have rare earth elements. You have the Amazon, which is called the lungs of the world, you have 31% of the world’s fresh water in this region. And there are opponents taking advantage of this area every day, right in our vicinity. And I believe that what happens in this region in terms of security has an impact on our security, our national security in the country and in the United States. We need to strengthen our neighborhood and realize how rich this neighborhood is in resources and how close our competitors and adversaries are in the region. »
Max Keizer pointed out the hypocrisy of these comments in a recent “Max & Stacey Report”, mentioning that his words are a lure to unite these countries and repeat what the United States has done in the past: take control of their resources: ” What about the CIA squads sent to El Salvador in the 1980s, what about the coups in Central and Latin America for decades? […] She keeps saying we just want to be your friends, we’re friends, we’re partners, trust us, you know we’ve always been your friends, we’ve always been here for you and those are blatant lies. ” 4
Bitcoin is a property defense system that does not require brute physical force. If the resource-rich Central American and Latin American nations can take advantage of bitcoin mining, the countries of the region have the opportunity to build a strong, independent and modern industry that cannot be taken away from them and that can guarantee their sovereignty. This may allow these countries to secure a new source of income at home, directly paid in currency that can be instantly transported around the world to trade with any nation, beyond the confines of a single strong nation like the United States. will enslave economically if the opportunity arises.
El Salvador is trying to lead the way by opening up its natural resources to provide energy for bitcoin miners. Thus, the country has a strong new industry from which it can benefit financially, but it can also produce a surplus of energy. In fact, it already is: “The president of CEL, Daniel Álvarez, confirmed that the country exported 595,537.2 megawatt hours (MWh) between January and July of this year, or 390,580.52 MWh, more than the total for the year previous 204,959.68”5.
The abundance of energy is a proven way to bring prosperity to society. El Salvador, if allowed to develop in this direction, could become one of the fastest developing countries in the world.
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Passionate about cryptocurrencies and DeFI, Thomas broadcasts international news on this topic!