281. How Bitcoin Defunds The War Machine

16 snips

Jul 8, 2025

Saifedean Ammous, author of The Bitcoin Standard, joins Ben Wehrman to discuss how Bitcoin can help defund global warfare, drawing from his personal journey from Palestine to a notable economics advocate. They delve into the transformative power of Bitcoin on financial systems and critique central banking practices that fuel inflation and moral decay. Saifedean argues that a shift to Bitcoin could lead to more ethical economic behavior and reduce warfare by imposing financial constraints on government actions.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

ANECDOTE

Saifedean's Educational Journey

Saifedean Ammous shared his educational and early career journey from Palestine to academia.
His exposure to Austrian economics radically changed his views during the 2007-2009 financial crisis.

ANECDOTE

Bitcoin Skeptic to Believer

Initially skeptical, Saifedean ignored Bitcoin until 2013 despite hearing about it earlier.
The rising price, mining industry, and Silk Road event made him reconsider and study it seriously.

INSIGHT

Bitcoin as Hardest Money

Bitcoin is the fastest money allowing peer-to-peer global transfers without intermediaries.
Its fixed money supply eliminates inflation, creating the hardest money ever.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

The Fiat Standard

Saifedean Ammous

In 'The Fiat Standard', Saifedean Ammous delves into the world's transition from the gold standard to the current system of government-backed fiat money. He explains the fiat standard as a feat of engineering and technology, similar to his analysis of bitcoin in 'The Bitcoin Standard'. Ammous outlines the purposes and failures of the fiat standard, deriving its wider economic, political, and social implications. He also examines how bitcoin could affect the fiat system over time, highlighting issues such as inflation, government intervention, and the potential for bitcoin to provide a more stable and salable alternative across space. The book critiques the distortions caused by fiat money in various global markets and suggests that bitcoin could lead to an orderly upgrade of the world's monetary operating system.

The Gold Standard

Saifedean Ammous

The bitcoin standard

Saifedean Ammous

The Bitcoin Standard analyzes the historical context to the rise of Bitcoin, the economic properties that have allowed it to grow quickly, and its likely economic, political, and social implications. The book takes the reader on an engaging journey through the history of technologies performing the functions of money, from primitive systems to modern government debt. It explains the operation of Bitcoin as a decentralized, distributed piece of software that converts electricity and processing power into indisputably accurate records, allowing users to perform traditional monetary functions without relying on authorities or physical infrastructure. The book also explores common questions surrounding Bitcoin and its potential as a store of value and a network for final settlement of large payments, challenging government monopolies and offering a vision of money extricated from politics and borders.

Fiat Food

Matthew Lysiak

Gradually, Then Suddenly

Parker Lewis

Principles of Economics

Saifedean Ammous

Broken Money

Why Our Financial System is Failing Us and How We Can Make it Better

Lyn Alden

In 'Broken Money', Lyn Alden delves into the evolution of money, from ancient forms like shells and gold to modern technologies such as central banks and Bitcoin. The book examines the theoretical foundations and practical implications of various monetary systems, highlighting how technology drives global financial changes. Alden also explores the human impact of money and how new monetary technologies shape societal power structures. The book aims to provide readers with a deep understanding of money's past, present, and potential future, including emerging technologies that could improve the current financial system.