071 - Vera Kichanova: Private Cities, Russian Politics & Saudi Arabia

Mar 29, 2024

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Private Cities, USA, Russia, Libertarianism, Honduran ZEDEs, Democracy, Monarchy, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Neom, The line.

Timothy Allen talks with Vera Kichanova.

Today's show is a conversation I had with the Free Cities Foundation's very own senior economist, Vera Kichanova.

Obviously, we take a deep pretty dive into the subject of private cities. Vera received the first ever Phd in the subject. What you may not know about her, however is that she was Russia's first ever elected libertarian… so I had to ask about that too.

There’s also a sprinkling of Argentinian politics, some observations on the successes of the UAE and we discuss the current buzz around Saudi Arabia and the country's fascinating plans for future.

Enjoy the conversation

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:30) Introduction.

(03:12) What does a senior economist at the Free Cities foundation do?

(08:53) Where did the private cities idea come from?

(19:23) Anti development is mainly due to what's called the precautionary principle.

(20:33) Development, democracy vs monarchy.

(25:30) Do you think the problem with the democratic system is a problem of scale?

(26:24) Vera was the first member of the Russian Libertarian party ever elected.

(34:30) Why did you leave Russian politics?

(37:58) What's your take on Javier Milei being elected president of Argentina?

(43:28) How many people actually want freedom?