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Today’s guest is Alex Gladstein, the human rights advocate, lecturer, author and Bitcoin evangelist, who has dedicated his life to working on the front line fighting for freedom for the many global citizens living under authoritarian regimes and oppressive governments.
Alex is the Chief Strategy Officer at the Human Rights Foundation and has also served as Vice President of Strategy for the Oslo Freedom Forum which was formed back in 2009.
In his work, Alex has connected hundreds of dissidents and civil society groups with business leaders, technologists, journalists, philanthropists, policymakers, and artists in a bid to promote free and open societies.
On top of this crucial effort, Alex spends a great deal of time writing articles and spreading his message to as wide an audience as possible, expressing his views around human rights issues and why certain technologies can be used as a means for positive change.
Much of his work has appeared in media outlets across the world including The Atlantic, BBC, CNN, The Guardian, The New York Times, NPR, TIME, The Washington Post, WIRED, and The Wall Street Journal.
He takes time to speak at universities ranging from MIT to Stanford, has also briefed the European Parliament and US State Department, and serves as faculty at the Singularity University and as an advisor to Blockchain Capital, a leading venture firm in the fintech industry.
And, in what has in many ways become his most fascinating insight, Alex has become a major proponent of the power of Bitcoin which, in his words, can obliterate financial privilege, and secure property rights, while also reinforcing capitalism.
We are living in some of the most challenging times that we as a global society have experienced in many years. Yet, while the mainstream media reports on the big stories of the day, very few of us truly understand the vast humanitarian crises that are taking place in lesser developed countries, and aren’t making the headline news.
Alex and his incredible team at the Human Rights Foundation focus on authoritarianism as a global problem, working tirelessly to expose the crimes of dictatorships everywhere from Cuba to Saudi Arabia to Vietnam, while at the same time running programs to support democracy activists, civil society organisers, at-risk journalists, and others who labour under these regimes.
Money as is so often the case runs deep through the heart of many humanitarian issues. People under authoritarian rule often face the prospect of having their bank accounts closed, or in some societies, people are restricted from opening one to begin with. There’s also the key issue of foreign aid, which in many cases never even makes it to its intended recipients. .
For Alex, Bitcoin offers hope in both these scenarios and countless others.
It is a revolutionary concept and technology that in much the same way that democracy decentralised politics and the internet decentralised information, can now decentralise money.
“Bitcoin underscores free speech and property rights, and it checks authoritarianism. It’s a monetary system that governments cannot manipulate. If the government has total control over the economy, it’s game over.”
As of December 2021, 4.3 billion people were living under authoritarianism and 1.6 billion people under double or triple-digit inflation. For this reason, Alex spends considerable time these days supporting the improvement of the Bitcoin protocol and its applications in order to make the technology more usable.
Bitcoin has real value to activists all over the world. It doesn’t belong to any specific group or authority. And, most significantly no one can seize it, stop you from using it, and that in itself brings a type of freedom that many of us more privileged individuals, often take for granted.
In fact, Alex’s new book ‘Check Your Financial Privilege’, delves deep into this very issue. Encouraging us all to take some time to consider how good we have it when compared to others, while also exploring how for many, Bitcoin offers a means of freedom from inflation, political strife, and outdated monetary systems.
Alex Gladstein is an incredible human being who has dedicated his life to helping others and he wants to spread the message far and wide, that we can all do more to help those less fortunate and maybe take some time to realise how lucky we are not to live in such repressive conditions.
Please make sure you don’t miss this incredibly important episode and be sure to share it with as many friends and family as possible. The message here has never been more pertinent and we find ourselves at a crossroads as a global society.
Perhaps Bitcoin and cryptocurrency really can bring about a significant change to the outdated structures and those relentless hierarchies. For Alex, “Bitcoin is a Trojan Horse for Freedom”, and I can’t wait to spend time with him, discussing all of this and much more.
Meanwhile, in other news, if you’re looking to take advantage of the growing opportunities in the world of decentralised finance and NFTs, I bring word of a very exciting event that will be taking place this June here in London.
Myself and the ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ Jordan Belfort will be hosting an exclusive in person crypto experience jam-packed with tailored advice, strategy, networking, industry experts and much more, designed to connect like-minded crypto investors and help you take your wealth and knowledge to the next level.
There are a strictly limited number of places available, and applications have been coming thick and fast, so if want to take your seat at the table and join the Wolf and the Rose for an intimate, in-depth masterclass, that will equip you with the tools and knowledge to succeed in this nascent industry, then don’t hesitate to get in touch with us HERE.
A number of clips from this groundbreaking interview are now available to download, share and repost. Spread the word and defend our human rights: grab these clips today!
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