Biweekly Discussion - Should We Fear The "Great Reset"?

Name: Biweekly Discussion - Should We Fear The "Great Reset"?
Start: 2021-02-14T13:00:00-05:00
End: 2021-02-14T15:00:00-05:00

Hosted By

Brian B.

Biweekly Discussion - Should We Fear The "Great Reset"?

Details

This is going to be an online meetup using Zoom. If you've never used Zoom before, don't worry — it's easy to use and free to join.

Here's the link to the event: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89178538905?pwd=dGRuOXZpWmZLSGtjK0cwT1EwbFRZdz09

Meeting ID: 891 7853 8905
Passcode: 306798

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SHOULD WE FEAR THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM'S "GREAT RESET"?

INTRODUCTION:

In this meetup, we'll take a deep dive into the nature of the World Economic Forum (WEF), an international non-governmental organization that host annual get-togethers for business leaders, politicians, scholars, and journalists in Davos, Switzerland. We'll explore several of their ideas & initiatives, particularly those that have recently aroused controversy in relation to the so-called "Great Reset" the WEF has been promoting.

In the first section, we'll look at the World Economic Forum's history, it's role in promoting "stakeholder capitalism", and some of the common criticisms of the WEF regarding its role in the formation of a wealthy global elite without attachment to nation-states, undemocratic decision-making processes, and a lack of financial transparency.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Economic_Forum

Since the WEF is a big promoter of "sustainable development" incoordination with the United Nations, in the second section we'll look at the UN's "Agenda 21" -- a non-binding action plan that was a product of the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, back in 1992. We'll also discuss "Agenda 2030", also known as the "Sustainable Development Goals", which were decided upon at the UN Sustainable Development Summit in 2015 and built on the goals set by Agenda 21, resulting in a list of 17 goals that have been agreed on, revolving around the concepts of "people, planet, prosperity, peace, and partnership."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agenda_21
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_Development_Goals

In the third section, we'll talk about how back in October the International Monetary Less Fund (IMF) managing director called for a “new Bretton Woods moment" - i.e. a new international monetary system - and we'll see how this relates to the idea of a "true global currency" the WEF began promoting in 2019. This has worried many Americans who follow financial news, who fear that it means the dollar may be replaced as the world's reserve currency which could reduce U.S. buying power overseas and possibly led to a national debt crisis.
https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2020/10/15/sp101520-a-new-bretton-woods-moment
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/04/is-it-time-for-a-true-global-currency

In the fourth section, we'll discuss the WEF's concept of the "Fourth Industrial Revolution", the trend towards automation and interconnectivity in manufacturing technologies which include cyber-physical systems (CPS), the industrial internet of things (IoT), cloud computing, and artificial intelligence. While these technologies could have major benefits for society, they've also raised fears of technological unemployment and mass surveillance. These fears were amplified back in the summer of 2020 when the WEF released a promotional video based on a 2016 essay by the Danish MP Ida Auken that presented their vision for 2030, saying "Welcome to 2030. I own nothing, have no privacy, and life has never been better."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Industrial_Revolution
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/11/how-life-could-change-2030/

RELEVANT MATERIAL FROM PAST MEETUPS:

In the 1st section of this meetup, we'll discuss the nature of the World Economic Forum and try to gauge the "soft power" it wields. In June of 2019, we had a meetup entitled "Neoliberals, Neocons & NWO 2.0" and in Part 2 we discussed the history of the World Economic Forum, as well as the way that the terms "globalist" and "Davos man" can be used as insults, buzzwords, and/or shorthand for the type of corporate jet-setters & government bureaucrats who regularly attend the WEF's annual gathering.
https://www.meetup.com/Philly-Skeptics/events/nfbkqqyzhbjc/

The 2nd section of this meetup deals with the WEF & UN's promotion of "sustainable development". In August of 2019, we had a meetup entitled "Is Urban Planning Rife With Conspiracies" and on Part 4 we discussed the UN's Agenda 21 in the context of the debate over "smart growth" and a supposed "war on the suburbs" and a "war on cars".
https://www.meetup.com/Philly-Skeptics/events/rgrhxqyzlbpb/

The 3rd section of our meetup deals with the international monetary system & the dollar's current status as the world reserve currency. In October of 2019, we had a meetup entitled "Do Bankers Rule the World?" The 4th part of that discussion looked at why Nixon took the U.S. dollar off the gold standard, and how Kissinger brokered a deal with the Saudis to only accept dollar for their oil in return for military aid, thus giving rise to the "petrodollar" system which has helped preserve the dollar's status as the world's reserve currency.
https://www.meetup.com/Philly-Skeptics/events/rgrhxqyznbjb/

In an earlier iteration of the meetup entitled "Do Bankers Rule the World?" in Oct. 2018, we covered various "goldbug" theories about the superiority of the gold standard, along with fears that the U.S. might have depleted its gold reserves while China was stealthily accumulating gold in an effort to launch a gold-backed Yuan - see Part 3 of the outline:
https://www.meetup.com/Philly-Skeptics/events/255695734/

Since the 3rd section of this discussion deals with fears that other nations will soon "dump the dollar", it's worth pointing out that we've covered this before as it relates to U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. Back in Nov. 2019, the Skeptics meetup covered some common misconceptions and conspiracy theories about U.S. foreign policy misadventures in the Middle East. In Part 3 of the discussion outline, we discussed the Libyan civil war and rumors that the U.S. intervened because Gaddafi was about to launch a gold-backed pan-African currency that would challenge the dollar: https://www.meetup.com/Philly-Skeptics/events/rgrhxqyzpbfb/

The final section will look at the WEF's prediction that technological innovation is leading to a "Fourth Industrial Revolution". This is essentially a less dramatic version of what futurists call the "Singularity", a hypothetical point in time at which technological growth becomes uncontrollable and irreversible, resulting in unforeseeable changes to human civilization. We've discussed this concept in a meetup back in 2019, and we'll revisit it in an upcoming group discussion later in February.
https://www.meetup.com/Philly-Skeptics/events/kwpswryccdblc/

The WEF is often compared to similar international organizations that host meetings with heads of industry & government officials, particularly the Bilderberg Meetings. We covered the Bilderberg Group in a meetup back in May of 2019 entitled "Who's Behind the New World Order" - see Part 3 of the discussion outline:
https://www.meetup.com/Philly-Skeptics/events/nfbkqqyzhbqb/

Since concerns about the WEF tend to blend over into broader issues with globalization, you may want to look at our past coverage of that topic. In October of 2018, we had a meetup where we discussed the research we have on the economic effects of globalization, as well as left-wing arguments from Naomi Klein book The Shock Doctrine & John Perkins' book Confessions of an Economic Hitman about the evil schemes they allege underlie globalization. We also discussed right-wing concerns over an alleged covert plan to unite the US with Canada & Mexico in a "North American Union":
https://www.meetup.com/Philly-Skeptics/events/255269097/

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DIRECTIONS ON HOW TO PREPARE FOR OUR DISCUSSION:

The videos & articles you see linked below are intended to give you a basic overview of some of the major debates over different aspects of the World Economic Forum's proposed "Great Reset" in the wake of the COVID pandemic. As usual, I certainly don't expect you to read all the articles & watch all the videos prior to attending our discussion. The easiest way to prepare for our discussion is to just watch the numbered videos linked under each section - the videos come to about about 46 minutes total. The articles marked with asterisks are just there to supply additional details. You can browse and look at whichever ones you want, but don't worry - we'll cover the stuff you missed in our discussion.

In terms of the discussion format, my general idea is that we'll address the topics in the order presented here. I figure we'll spend about 30 minutes on each section.

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I. UNDERSTANDING THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM & GAUGING ITS SOFT POWER:

ARE THE TERMS "GLOBALIST" & "DAVOS MAN" MERE SLURS, OR SYNONYMS FOR WHAT SOCIOLOGISTS CALL THE "TRANSNATIONAL CAPITALIST CLASS" (TCC)? DO THEY HAVE A DISTINCT IDEOLOGY? WHY DO BOTH THE NATIONALIST RIGHT & THE ANTI-CAPITALIST LEFT DESPISE THEM?
DID KLAUS SCHWAB START THE "WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM" IN 1971 TO TEACH EUROPEAN CEOs THE AMERICAN MANAGEMENT MODEL, OR TO PROMOTE "STAKEHOLDER THEORY", OR BOTH?
IS IT TRUE - AS TED MALLOCH CLAIMS - THAT KLAUS SCHWAB WAS A MEMBER OF THE NAZI YOUTH AS A BOY? IS IT SIGNIFICANT FOR THE WEF THAT DAVOS WAS RIFE WITH NAZI AGENTS IN WWII & THAT SWISS BANKS HID NAZI GOLD? DOES THIS SUPPORT MALLOCH'S ARGUMENT THAT THE WEF WORKS COVERTLY TO ENABLE GERMAN DOMINATION OF EUROPE THROUGH THE E.U., OR IS THIS JUST "GUILT BY ASSOCIATION"?
HOW MUCH OF THE POPULAR AVERSION TO THE WEF CAN BE CHALKED UP TO KLAUS SCHWAB VAGUELY RESEMBLING THE BOND VILLAIN "ERNST STAVRO BLOFELD", THE BASIS FOR "DR. EVIL" IN THE AUSTIN POWERS MOVIES?
ARE MOST OF THE EUROPEAN DAVOS ATTENDEES BEHOLDEN TO THE "NEOLIBERALISM" OF HAYEK & FRIEDMAN - OR ARE THEY MORE INFLUENCED BY THE CENTER-LEFT "SOCIAL MARKET" IDEAS OF ALEXANDER RUSTOW, AS BEN CHU ARGUES?
SHOULD WE BE LESS SUSPICIOUS OF THE WEF THAN BILDERBERG SINCE THE FORMER IS OPEN TO THE MEDIA, OR DOES ALL THE "REAL TALK" STILL GO ON SECRETLY IN BACK ROOMS?
HAS THE WEF'S TALKS SHIFTED OVER THE YEARS FROM SOPHISTICATED DISCUSSION OF ECONOMIC ISSUES TO "POMP & PLATITUDES"? IF SO, IS THIS DUE TO THE INFLUX OF MEDIA & POLITICIANS? DOES THIS PERHAPS JUSTIFY BILDERBERG'S EXCLUSION OF JOURNALISTS & USE OF THE CHATHAM HOUSE RULE?
WHY DID NELSON MANDELA DECIDE NOT TO NATIONALIZE SOUTH AFRICA'S INDUSTRIES AFTER HIS VISIT TO DAVOS IN 1992? WAS HE CORRUPTED BY EUROPEAN BANKERS & CEOs, OR DID HE LISTEN TO THE COMMUNIST DELEGATIONS FROM CHINA & VIETNAM WHO TOLD HIM THAT NATIONALIZATION WAS COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE?
IS THE WEF A CONSPIRACY OF THE "TRANSNATIONAL CAPITALIST CLASS" THAT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR GROWING INCOME INEQUALITY, CRONY CAPITALISM & TAX EVASION? IF SO, WHY ARE THE E.U. COUNTRIES FROM WHICH MOST ATTENDEES HAIL HIGH-TAX WELFARE STATES WITH LOW GINI COEFFICIENTS?
DOES THE WEF'S RHETORIC SHIFT THE RESPONSIBILTY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION OFF GOV'T & ONTO CONSUMERS, AS MARKUS GIESLER ARGUES?
DOES THE WEF'S CONCEPT OF "STAKEHOLDER CAPITALISM" HELP CORPORATIONS CONSIDER THE WIDER COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE AFFECTED BY THEIR BUSINESS RATHER THAN JUST THE SHAREHOLDERS, OR DOES IT IN PRACTICE ACTUALLY SERVE THE INTERESTS OF ELITES & IGNORE THE REAL STAKEHOLDERS (I.E. EMPLOYEES & CUSTOMERS)?

1a) CNBC, "What is Davos?" (video - 3:22 min.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8nzp2aPqP4

1b) The Telegraph, "Davos is about 'building bridges in a fractured world'" (video - 4:40 min.)
https://youtu.be/Ju4MBBBwTw8

1c) Newsman Now, "Theodore Roosevelt Malloch discusses the World Economic Forum and his book" (video - 2:14 min.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFMn12xWxYM

Moises Nan, "Five myths about Davos"
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/five-myths-about-davos/2011/01/03/ABpN4ER_story.html
Luc-André Brunet, "Is the EU a Nazi project? Debunking an enduring myth"
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/can-europe-make-it/is-eu-nazi-project-debunking-enduring-myth/
Ben Chu, "The European Union is not a 'neoliberal conspiracy' – and it’s disturbing that some in the Labour Party apparently believe this nonsense"
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/european-union-neoliberal-conspiracy-labour-party-brexit-jeremy-corbyn-a8349316.html
Andrew Ross Sorkin, "How Mandela Shifted Views on Freedom of Markets [at Davos in 1992]"
https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/12/09/how-mandela-shifted-views-on-freedom-of-markets/
Jean-Christophe Graz, "How Powerful Are Transnational Elite Clubs? The Social Myth of the World Economic Forum"
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261668133_How_Powerful_Are_Transnational_Elite_Clubs_The_Social_Myth_of_the_World_Economic_Forum
Kate Wheeling, "Does Davos Actually Do Anything? Research [by Markus Giesler] shows that the World Economic Forum, a meeting reserved for the one percent, might actually affect the rest of us [i.e. shifting the focus of environmental and financial responsibility from government and corporate level regulations to consumer decisions]"
https://psmag.com/economics/devos-more-than-just-luncheon
Mark Hornshaw, "Is ‘Stakeholder Capitalism’ Newspeak for Economic Fascism? The changes favored by the ‘Great Reset’ movement would force businesses to serve the interests of ruling elites and leave true stakeholders out in the cold."
https://fee.org/articles/is-stakeholder-capitalism-newspeak-for-economic-fascism/

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II. UNDERSTANDING THE U.N. AGENDA 21 & AGENDA 2030 AND THEIR CONNECTION TO "SMART GROWTH" & "SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT":

ARE NON-BINDING RESOLUTION LIKE AGENDA 21 MOSTLY JUST "FEEL GOOD" INITIATIVES AS SOME OF ITS DEFENDERS HAVE CLAIMED? IF SO, IS IT PERHAPS IRRATIONAL BUT HARMLESS FOR LOCAL ANTI-SMART GROWTH ACTIVISTS TO BLOCK THEM?
HOW DID AGENDA 21 RISE FROM OBSCURITY IN THE 1990s TO A MAJOR CONCERN FOR THE TEA PARTY IN THE EARLY 2010s? WHAT ROLE DID GLENN BECK'S DYSTOPIAN NOVEL & HIS FOX NEWS PROGRAM PLAY IN MOBILIZING CONSERVATIVES TO OPPOSE AGENDA 21?
TO WHAT EXTENT HAVE "SMART GROWTH" INITIATIVES BEEN ENACTED INTO LAW IN THE U.S. SINCE 1992? IS THE ALLEGED "WAR ON CARS" & "WAR ON THE SUBURBS" PARTLY TRUE?
TO WHAT EXTENT IS RESISTANCE TO "SMART GROWTH" BEING DRIVEN BY WHITE CONSERVATIVES WHO FLED TO THE SUBURBS DURING THE "WHITE FLIGHT" OF THE 1960s-70s AND DON'T WANT TO RETURN TO LIVING IN MULTI-RACIAL CITIES?
IS THERE A REAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A LEGITIMATE "DELPHI METHOD" FOR OBTAINING A GROUP CONSENSUS & A MANIPULATIVE "DELPHI TECHNIQUE" FOR ENGINEERING A FALSE CONSENSUS AROUND PRECONCEIVED PLANS, OR IS THIS JUST A RIGHT-WING CONSPIRACY THEORY?
IS THE ECONOMIST SANDY IKEDA RIGHT THAT SMART GROWTH ACTIVISTS HAVE GOOD INTENTIONS BUT ARE MISGUIDED & BLIND TO THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES, SUCH AS EXACERBATING THE SHORTAGE OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING?
IS SANDY IKEDA RIGHT THAT ANTI-SMART GROWTH ACTIVISTS WHO SEE HIGH-DENSITY & MASS TRANSIT AS INHERENTLY "STATIST" ARE BLIND TO HOW DEPENDENT THE LOW-DENSITY SUBURBS ARE ON STATE SUBSIDIES OF ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE?

2a) City Beautiful, "How did smart growth become politically divisive?" (video - 6:40 min.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgC4yWiM0ng

2b) Young Turks, "Agenda 21: GOP Leader's Obama 'Mind Control' Conspiracy Briefing" (video - 4:16 min, start at 0:40)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNmeY-BZIyQ&t=40s

2c) Thomas Mättig, "The Agenda 2030 Under Spotlight" (video - 4:45 min.)
https://youtu.be/hjCxSlbq1CM

Kevin Hooper, "Agenda 21: A look at the conspiratorial hysteria and sensationalism surrounding the United Nations' Agenda 21."
https://skeptoid.com/episodes/4465
Llewellyn Hinkes, Jones, "The Anti-Environmentalist Roots of the Agenda 21 Conspiracy Theory: There's a surprisingly longstanding tradition in American politics of fighting land use regulations."
https://www.citylab.com/equity/2012/08/anti-environmentalist-roots-agenda-21-conspiracy-theory/3091/
Sarah Cypher, "I got duped by Glenn Beck! The pundit bought the creative rights to the dystopian novel I edited, transforming it into right-wing propaganda"
http://www.salon.com/2012/11/19/i_got_duped_by_glenn_beck/
Tim Murphy, "Top Georgia GOP Lawmakers Host Briefing on Secret Obama Mind-Control Plot [a.k.a. The Delphi Technique]"
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/11/georgia-senate-gets-52-minute-briefing-united-nations-takeover/
Anthony Flint, "How the Tea Party Is Upending Urban Planning: Activists have opposed everything from environmental regulations to smart growth. What kind of long-term impact will they have?"
https://www.citylab.com/equity/2011/12/how-tea-party-upending-urban-planning/718/
Stephen Smith, "David Alpert calls out Virginia Tea Party group as land use statists"
https://marketurbanism.com/2011/02/06/david-alpert-calls-out-the-virginia-tea-party-has-land-use-statists/
Sandy Ikeda, "Shut Out: How Land-Use Regulations Hurt the Poor. Economics paints a damning picture of zoning and smart growth"
https://fee.org/articles/shut-out-how-land-use-regulations-hurt-the-poor/
Obama White House, "FACT SHEET: U.S. Global Development Policy and Agenda 2030"
https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2015/09/27/fact-sheet-us-global-development-policy-and-agenda-2030
Chelsey Cox, "Fact check: U.N. Agenda 21/2030 'New World Order' is not a real document"
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/07/23/fact-check-uns-agenda-21-2030-agenda-wont-create-new-world-order/5474884002/
Paul Ratner, "Agenda 21, a wild conspiracy theory reignited by coronavirus: A conspiracy theory that 90 percent of the world's population will be killed off spreads widely on pandemic fears."
https://bigthink.com/politics-current-affairs/agenda-21-a-wild-conspiracy-theory-reignited-by-coronavirus
Patrick Orsagos, "Facebook post distorts UN’s sustainable development goals"
https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/jul/24/viral-image/facebook-post-distorts-uns-sustainable-development/

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III. UNDERSTANDING THE BUZZ ABOUT A "NEW BRETTON WOODS" & FEARS OF A DOLLAR CRASH:

WHAT SORT OF INTERNATIONAL MONETARY SYSTEM DID THE ORIGINAL BRETTON WOODS AGREEMENT DEVISE? WHY WAS IT CONSIDERED A KET PART OF THE AMERICAN-LED "LIBERAL INTERNATIONAL ORDER" AFTER WWII?
WHY DID RICHARD NIXON END THE CONVERTABILITY OF THE U.S. DOLLAR TO GOLD IN 1971? DID IT RELATE TO THE U.S. NATIONAL DEBT ACCUMULATED FROM THE VIETNAM WAR & LBJ'S GREAT SOCIETY PROGRAMS?
IS THE U.S. DOLLAR SUPPORTED BY THE "PETRODOLLAR SYSTEM" - I.E. THE SAUDIS ONLY ACCEPT DOLLARS FOR THEIR OIL? WOULD THE DOLLAR'S STATUS AS WORLD RESERVE CURRENCY BE IN DANGER IF THE SAUDIS DECIDED TO ACCEPT OTHER CURRENCIES, LIKE THE EURO OR YUAN?
HAS THE DEBT THE U.S. HAS ACCUMULATED IN THE WAKE OF THE 2008 FINANCIAL CRISIS & THE COVID PANDEMIC MADE FOREIGN INVESTORS UNEASY ABOUT CONTINUING TO BUY U.S. TREASURY BONDS? IF THE U.S. BEGAN TO HAVE DIFFICULTIES SERVICING ITS DEBT (I.E. PAYING THE INTEREST), WOULD THIS RESULTS IN A DEBT CRISIS THAT WOULD "DETHRONE" THE DOLLAR AS THE WORLD'S RESERVE CURRENCY?
ARE GOLD ACQUISITIONS BY CHINA & RUSSIA AN EFFORT TO DISPLACE THE U.S. DOLLAR WITH THE RUBLE OR YUAN? IS THAT REALISTIC?
SECTION 3, QUESTION 5: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ainslee News, "IMF & WEF Call For Global Reset - 'A New Bretton Woods Moment'” (video - 8:13 min, start at 0:36)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEE4XK_wfFE&t=36s

IGM Experts Panel, "Because of the many special and unique roles that the dollar plays in global commerce, US citizens are substantially better off than they otherwise would be." [poll of economists - 73% agree]
https://www.igmchicago.org/surveys/the-dollar/
Salvatoe Babones, "Fears That China Will Abandon The Dollar Are Greatly Exaggerated"
https://www.forbes.com/sites/salvatorebabones/2018/01/11/fears-that-china-will-abandon-the-dollar-are-greatly-exaggerated-as-usual/
Nishan Degnarain, "The Great Coronavirus Reset: Five New Bretton Woods Institutions For 21st Century's Exponential Challenges"
https://www.forbes.com/sites/nishandegnarain/2020/03/24/the-great-coronavirus-reset-five-new-bretton-woods-institutions-for-21st-centurys-exponential-challenges/?sh=295b63d95ca1
Alok Shekel, "Bretton Woods 3.0 puts the dollar’s dominance at risk"
https://www.livemint.com/opinion/online-views/bretton-woods-3-0-puts-the-dollar-s-dominance-at-risk-11599062242234.html
Neils Christensen, "IMF calling for new Bretton Woods Moment but that doesn't mean a new gold standard"
https://www.kitco.com/news/2020-10-19/IMF-calling-for-new-Bretton-Woods-Moment-but-that-doesn-t-mean-a-new-gold-standard.html
Bradley Keoun, "After Coronavirus ‘War,’ Bretton Woods-Style Shakeup Could Dethrone the Dollar"
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/coronavirus-war-bretton-woods-style-130000284.html
Joshua Zoffer, "To End Forever War, Keep the Dollar Globally Dominant: The U.S. has misused its 'exorbitant' financial privilege, but American leaders should transform it, not abandon it."
https://newrepublic.com/article/156417/end-forever-war-keep-dollar-globally-dominant
Wolf Richter, "U.S. Dollar As 'Global Reserve Currency' Amid Fed's QE And U.S. Government Deficits: Dollar Hegemony In Decline"
https://seekingalpha.com/article/4396942-u-s-dollar-global-reserve-currency-amid-feds-qe-and-u-s-government-deficits-dollar-hegemony
Adam Tooze, "The Rise and Fall and Rise (and Fall) of the U.S. Financial Empire: The U.S. Financial Empire Endures—Despite the Dollar's Ills"
https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/01/15/rise-fall-united-states-financial-empire-dollar-global-currency/
Andrew Henderson, "The Global Currency Reset: Is It Real? [Probably Not"
https://nomadcapitalist.com/2020/04/13/global-currency-reset/

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IV. UNDERSTANDING THE BUZZ ABOUT THE "FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION" & THE POST-COVID "GREAT RESET":

DOES THE WEF'S CONCEPT OF "THE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION" CONCEAL A "HIDDEN AUTOMATION AGENDA," AS KEVIN ROOSE ARGUED IN THE NY TIMES? OR ARE THEY MERELY OPTIMISTIC THAT RETRAINING WORKERS & BASIC INCOME COULD ALLOW THE BENEFITS OF AUTOMATION TO EXCEED THE DOWNSIDES?
DID THE DANISH PM IDA AUKEN'S 2016 ARTICLE THAT DESCRIBES URBANITES IN 2030 OWNING NOTHING & HAVING NO PRIVACY BUT BEING HAPPY REFLECT WHAT THE WEF THINKS ARE LIKELY OUTCOMES OF THE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION, PARTICULARLY THE "SHARING ECONOMY" (E.G. RIDE-SHARES, AIRBNB, TOOL LIBRARIES, MAKERSPACES) & SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY (E.G. CCTV CAMERAS, CELL PHONE TRACKING, DRONES)? DOES IT LOOK DOWN ON THOSE WHO LIVE OUTSIDE THE CITIES?
ARE CONSPIRACY THEORISTS FALLING PREY TO THE "CUI BONO FALLACY" WHEN THEY NOTICE THAT THE WEF & OTHER "GLOBALISTS" ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE COVID CRISIS AND ASSUMING THEY MUST HAVE ORCHESTRATED THE PANDEMIC? ARE "RETROACTIVE CONSPIRACIES" THAT SEEK TO "NEVER LET A CRISIS GO TO WASTE" MORE PROBABLE?
IS THE WEF USING THE COVID PANDEMIC TO PROMOTING "CRISIS-RELEVANT TECH" LIKE CONTACT TRACING & DIGITAL HEALTH PASSPORTS BECAUSE THEY WANT TO PERMANENTLY EXPAND THE SURVEILLANCE STATE, AS TIM HINCHCLIFFE ARGUES? COULD TYING SURVEILLANCE TO MEDICAL DATA (A.K.A. BIO-ELECTRONIC SURVEILLANCE) LEAD TO A "GATTACA" SCENARIO?
SECTION 4, QUESTION 5: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

4a) CNBC, "What is the Fourth Industrial Revolution?" (video - 4:17 min.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9rZOa3CUC8

4b) NTD News w/ Daniel Lacalle, "Conspiracy Theory Or Globalization Accelerated? - The Great Reset Proposal" (video - 6:50 min.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruugbm1L_5c

Ida Auken, "Welcome to 2030. I own nothing, have no privacy, and life has never been better"
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/11/how-life-could-change-2030/
Kevin Roose, "The Hidden Automation Agenda of the Davos Elite"
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/25/technology/automation-davos-world-economic-forum.amp.html
Naomi Klein, "The Great Reset Conspiracy Smoothie: A viral conspiracy theory blends together legitimate critiques with truly dangerous anti-vaccination fantasies and outright coronavirus denialism."
https://theintercept.com/2020/12/08/great-reset-conspiracy/
Jennifer Graham, "What is ‘the Great Reset’ and why does it scare some conservatives? An initiative of the World Economic Forum has set off conspiracy theories, as well as serious pushback to what’s seen as a socialist agenda"
https://www.deseret.com/indepth/2021/1/2/22203108/great-reset-world-economic-forum-politics-conservative-conspiracy-parler-america-first
Jonathan Michie, "Davos 2021: to achieve a ‘great reset’, we can’t count on the same old globalists to lead the way"
https://theconversation.com/davos-2021-to-achieve-a-great-reset-we-cant-count-on-the-same-old-globalists-to-lead-the-way-153508
Quinn Slobodian, "How the 'great reset' of capitalism became an anti-lockdown conspiracy: Though a poor diagnosis of global events, this implausible theory offers a grim insight into the public mood."
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/dec/04/great-reset-capitalism-became-anti-lockdown-conspiracy
Tim Hinchliffe, "A skeptical look at the ‘great reset’: a technocratic agenda that waited years for a global crisis to exploit: How the ‘great reset’ ideology of un-elected bureaucrats would steer society towards massive surveillance & control"
https://sociable.co/technology/skeptical-great-reset-technocratic-agenda-waited-years-crisis-exploit/
Nancy LeTourneau, "Inside the Many Conspiracy Theories About the Great Reset: Far-right provocateurs are spreading myriad falsehoods about the new initiative to meet their needs."
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2020/12/30/inside-the-many-conspiracy-theories-about-the-great-reset/
Justin Honse, "Does the Great Reset Really Mean I’ll Own Nothing? Here are some links, references and excerpts — you decide"
https://justinhonse.medium.com/does-the-great-reset-really-mean-ill-own-nothing-79ec55b98809
Antony P. Mueller, "No Privacy, No Property: The World in 2030 According to the WEF"
https://mises.org/wire/no-privacy-no-property-world-2030-according-wef
Alberto Mingardi, "The Great Reset: Between Conspiracy and Wishful Thinking"
https://www.econlib.org/the-great-reset-between-conspiracy-and-wishful-thinking/
Andrew Stuttaford, "The Great Reset: If Only It Were Just a Conspiracy - The 'Great Reset' masterminded by the World Economic Forum is just corporatism by another name."
https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/11/the-great-reset-if-only-it-were-just-a-conspiracy/

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Biweekly Discussion - Should We Fear The "Great Reset"?