Doug Casey’s Take, Released on 12/14/24

In this episode, Doug and Matt discuss Sir John Glubb’s seminal 1976 essay ‘The Fate of Empires and the Search for Survival.’ Instead of focusing on current events, they delve into the big picture, examining historical cycles of empires and their modern implications. They explore the essay’s breakdown of the life stages of empires—pioneers, conquests, commerce, affluence, intellect, decadence, and decline and collapse—illustrate with examples from various historical empires like Assyria, Persia, Greece, Rome, and the Arab Empire. They also discuss how these observations resonate with current issues in the United States, including the welfare state, influx of foreigners, internal political divisions, and the rising influence of intellectualism and materialism. This episode offers a comprehensive understanding of historical patterns and their relevance to contemporary societal trends.

00:00 Introduction and Overview
00:19 The Fate of Empires: An Introduction
03:12 Stages of Empire: From Pioneers to Decline
05:24 Historical Examples of Empires
13:40 The Age of Commerce and Its Impact
20:27 The Age of Intellect and Its Consequences
25:34 Modern Reflections on Empire
29:37 The Role of Education and Intellectualism
30:36 Historical Civil Wars and Internal Conflicts
31:24 The Influx of Foreigners in Great Empires
37:06 The Roman Mob and Free Distributions
47:38 Decadence and Moral Corruption
53:20 Summary and Final Thoughts

Doug Casey is an American-born libertarian economist and advocate of the free market. He is a bestselling financial author, international investor, entrepreneur, and the founder and chairman of Casey Research, a provider of subscription financial analysis about specific market verticals including natural resources, metals, mining, energy, commodities, and technology. He has authored four books, including Crisis Investing, the top-selling investing book of all time, Totally Incorrect, and Right on the Money. He also publishes a video podcast called Doug Casey’s Take and publishes articles at International Man.