80: Rare Earths, Global Conflicts, and Reimagining Democracy. Gregory Copley analyzes China's rare earth monopoly, noting it was achieved through low pricing and unsafe practices but is now eroding as global suppliers ramp up production. He reviews current gl

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John Batchelor

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🗓️ 12 November 2025

⏱️ 8 minutes

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Summary

Rare Earths, Global Conflicts, and Reimagining Democracy. Gregory Copley analyzes China's rare earth monopoly, noting it was achieved through low pricing and unsafe practices but is now eroding as global suppliers ramp up production. He reviews current global conflicts, viewing the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford battle group near Venezuela as a test of brinkmanship, and citing Kyiv's admission of losses in Ukraine. Copley also argues that democracy is "dead," advocating for a return to defining the spirit of a social contract rather than relying on mutable laws.
1862 PLATO SYMPOSIUM VIA MUNICH

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm John Betts with my good colleague Gregory Copley.
0:05.0	Violence. There's no shortage.
0:07.5	The Gerald R. Ford, the Super, Super Carrier, and its battle group arriving in the Caribbean
0:11.4	to join a flotilla of Arlie Burke class destroyers and a Marine Mu.
0:16.4	Lots of elements of the U.S. Air Force.
0:19.5	The intention is to dislodge the dictator in Caracas.
0:24.4	More violence. We look to the Middle East. Right now, the Hamas in a ceasefire mode are refusing to
0:33.4	surrender their arms. The estimates are about 5,000 effective fighters, lots of teenagers and
0:39.6	auxiliaries that might puff the number up, but they're dug in to survive or not. There is
0:46.2	a Board of Peace recommended by the President of the United States. It talks about the World Bank
0:51.5	being a source of money. It talks about apolitical actors heading up the rebuilding for the next several years.
0:58.9	It does not mention a security force, and that missing peace is why there is no peace in the Middle East.
1:05.3	As of this moment, Hezbollah is rearming in Lebanon.
1:08.5	One more detail.
1:10.1	Russia recently has been firing an especially
1:12.7	thick barrage of drones, missiles, and glide bombs at energy nodes in Ukraine.
1:18.6	The latest information we have from Keefe is that the Vettelten and Prakosk on the frontier is now
1:24.7	occupied by Russian forces. No end of violence. Gregor, any one of these events can break down immediately.
1:31.3	Which do you see is the most vulnerable at this moment?
1:35.3	Venezuela, Middle East, or Ukraine?
1:39.3	Let me just throw in some extras.
1:42.3	I mean, the situations in Somalia and Somaliland, in Ethiopia and
	...

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