The Grant Williams Podcast

In this episode of The Grant Williams Podcast, I’m joined by Rabobank’s Michael Every for a provocative exploration of why the post-Cold War liberal world order is breaking down — and what may replace it. Michael argues that decades of hyper-market economics hollowed out America’s industrial and military base, and that Trump’s project represents a radical attempt to reverse that trajectory by fusing national security and economic policy. Drawing on deep historical parallels with the collapse of the Soviet Union, he sets out his ‘reverse Gorbachev’ thesis: an effort to impose a form of capitalism with a national-security face, subordinating markets to strategic necessity, elevating the Treasury over the Federal Reserve, and accepting higher inflation, heavier state intervention, and intensified political conflict at home and abroad in order to rebuild power and resilience. Every episode of the Grant Williams podcast, including This Week In Doom, The End Game, The Super Terrific Happy Hour, The Narrative Game, Kaos Theory, Shifts Happen and The Hundred Year Pivot, is available to Copper and Silver Tier subscribers at my website www.Grant-Williams.com. Copper Tier subscribers get access to all podcasts, while members of the Silver Tier get both the podcasts and my monthly newsletter, Things That Make You Go Hmmm…

In this episode of The Hundred Year Pivot, Demetri and I are joined by geopolitical strategist Kamran Bokhari for a sweeping, historically grounded exploration of how Iran arrived at its present moment of instability—and where it may be heading next. Kamran traces Iran’s modern political evolution from Qajar Persia through the Pahlavi monarchy, the 1953 Mosaddegh coup, and the 1979 Islamic Revolution, explaining how the regime’s dual-military structure—split between the regular army and the IRGC—was forged in war and later transformed into a vehicle for political and economic dominance. From Iran’s revolutionary ideology and fear of encirclement to the rise and possible unraveling of its proxy network, the conversation builds toward a sober assessment of today’s protests, currency collapse, and internal decay—arguing that while the Islamic Republic may be weakening in unprecedented ways, the path forward is likely to be turbulent, uncertain, and region-shaping rather than clean or sudden. Every episode of the Grant Williams podcast, including This Week In Doom, The End Game, The Super Terrific Happy Hour, The Narrative Game, Kaos Theory, Shifts Happen and The Hundred Year Pivot, is available to Copper and Silver Tier subscribers at my website www.Grant-Williams.com. Copper Tier subscribers get access to all podcasts, while members of the Silver Tier get both the podcasts and my monthly newsletter, Things That Make You Go Hmmm…

Demetri and I welcome journalist and author Brian Winter to The Hundred Year Pivot to discuss the recent events in Venezuela and where they fit into the upheaval coming at us from seemingly every direction. Brian is the editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly and a seasoned analyst of Latin American politics and his balanced perspective is a welcome antidote to the unbridled certainty about the future that seems to have erupted since Maduro’s extradition/kidnap. We discuss the finer details of Venezuelan politics, what likely happens next, other key potential flashpoints in Latin America as well as the surprising resurgence of right-wing politics across a continent with a history of tending very consistently towards the other extreme of the political spectrum. Every episode of the Grant Williams podcast, including This Week In Doom, The End Game, The Super Terrific Happy Hour, The Narrative Game, Kaos Theory, Shifts Happen and The Hundred Year Pivot, is available to Copper and Silver Tier subscribers at my website www.Grant-Williams.com. Copper Tier subscribers get access to all podcasts, while members of the Silver Tier get both the podcasts and my monthly newsletter, Things That Make You Go Hmmm…

In this episode of The Grant Williams Podcast, I’m joined by Dr. John Bosetti, MD, an eye surgeon who has dedicated his career to tackling one of the most devastating—and most solvable—health crises in the developing world: preventable blindness. Dr. Bosetti recounts how a life running a successful ophthalmology practice in Napa, California gave way to a mission in Sub-Saharan Africa after witnessing first-hand the scale of untreated cataracts and the limits of short-term medical missions. What followed was a bold plan to build local capacity through Eye Surgeons International—creating world-class training, infrastructure, and sustainability to restore sight, dignity, and economic vitality to millions of people who have been left behind by global healthcare systems. What better way to start the new year than with a profoundly moving conversation that offers hope to thousands and provides an opportunity for us to give back? Happy New Year everyone! Every episode of the Grant Williams podcast, including This Week In Doom, The End Game, The Super Terrific Happy Hour, The Narrative Game, Kaos Theory, Shifts Happen and The Hundred Year Pivot, is available to Copper and Silver Tier subscribers at my website www.Grant-Williams.com. Copper Tier subscribers get access to all podcasts, while members of the Silver Tier get both the podcasts and my monthly newsletter, Things That Make You Go Hmmm…

In this episode of Super Terrific Happy Hour, Steph and I return with our customary blend of easy-going banter coupled with a shameless plug and a sobering assessment of the global financial landscape. What begins with complaints about the cold weather and Seinfeld callbacks, as well as our upcoming live event in St. Petersburg, quickly turns into a candid examination of sovereign refinancing risks, leveraged corporate balance sheets, and a Treasury market increasingly supported not by central banks but by hedge funds and private foreign buyers. As short-term debt dependence grows and refinancing waves collide across governments, corporates, and AI-driven capex, we explain why we continue to sleep better owning gold—and why this moment feels less like a trade than long-term insurance for an unstable monetary age. Every episode of the Grant Williams podcast, including This Week In Doom, The End Game, The Super Terrific Happy Hour, The Narrative Game, Kaos Theory, Shifts Happen and The Hundred Year Pivot, is available to Copper, Silver and Gold Tier subscribers at my website www.Grant-Williams.com. Copper Tier subscribers get access to all podcasts, while members of the Silver Tier get both the podcasts and my monthly newsletter, Things That Make You Go Hmmm… Gold Tier subscribers have access to my new series of in-depth video conversations, About Time.

In this episode of The Grant Williams Podcast, I welcome Diana Choyleva, Chief Economist at Enodo Economics, for a rigorous unpacking of what ‘de-dollarisation’ really means—and what it doesn’t. Moving beyond the familiar extremes of “the dollar is finished” versus “the dollar is untouchable,” Diana explains how China is methodically building an alternative financial infrastructure centred on the digital yuan and modern payment rails. The issue, she argues, is not oil being priced in dollars, but how energy is paid for and how those dollars are recycled. From Saudi Arabia’s pivotal role to the quiet technological arms race in cross-border payments, this is a masterclass in how currency, geopolitics, and technology are converging to reshape the global monetary order far faster than most realise. Every episode of the Grant Williams podcast, including This Week In Doom, The End Game, The Super Terrific Happy Hour, The Narrative Game, Kaos Theory, Shifts Happen and The Hundred Year Pivot, is available to Copper and Silver Tier subscribers at my website www.Grant-Williams.com. Copper Tier subscribers get access to all podcasts, while members of the Silver Tier get both the podcasts and my monthly newsletter, Things That Make You Go Hmmm…

n the latest episode of The End Game, Bill and I welcome Gerard Minack for a masterclass in macro perspective and market realism. Gerard, founder of Minack Advisors, dissects the current investment landscape—where AI euphoria collides with fiscal fragility and complacent bond markets. Drawing on historical parallels to the late 1990s tech bubble, he explains why today’s optimism may mask structural risks: stretched valuations, rising deficits, and a world growing comfortable with unsustainable debt dynamics. The conversation spans AI’s commercial limits, the growing strain on fiscal and monetary policy, and gold’s curious role as both hedge and mirror of uncertainty, offering a sharp, grounded assessment of what the end game may truly look like for global markets. Every episode of the Grant Williams podcast, including This Week In Doom, The End Game, The Super Terrific Happy Hour, The Narrative Game, Kaos Theory, Shifts Happen and The Hundred Year Pivot, is available to Copper and Silver Tier subscribers at my website www.Grant-Williams.com. Copper Tier subscribers get access to all podcasts, while members of the Silver Tier get both the podcasts and my monthly newsletter, Things That Make You Go Hmmm…

In this latest episode of The Hundred Year Pivot, Demetri Kofinas and I are joined by Peter Atwater, adjunct professor at William & Mary and author of The Confidence Map: From Chaos to Clarity. Together we explore Peter’s groundbreaking framework for understanding how confidence shapes behaviour, societies, and markets through four emotional quadrants: the comfort zone, the stress centre, the launch pad, and the passenger seat. What begins as a psychological model quickly expands into a sweeping reflection on generational fragility, social media conformity, and the dangerous imbalance of a world where too few people feel in control of their own lives—and where the next shift in collective mood could redefine politics, finance, and community itself. Every episode of the Grant Williams podcast, including This Week In Doom, The End Game, The Super Terrific Happy Hour, The Narrative Game, Kaos Theory, Shifts Happen and The Hundred Year Pivot, is available to Copper and Silver Tier subscribers at my website www.Grant-Williams.com. Copper Tier subscribers get access to all podcasts, while members of the Silver Tier get both the podcasts and my monthly newsletter, Things That Make You Go Hmmm…