Western Empire Facing Same Collapse as Rome in its Final Days: Martin Armstrong
What this covers
Martin Armstrong sees striking similarities between the multitude of crises that plague the modern world and the conditions just before the fall of the Roman empire. Martin argues that endless debt issuance, wars for profit, unchecked migration, and rampant political corruption are setting the stage for a future where many Western countries cease to exist as we know them.
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00:00 Introduction 01:28 Everything is Connected 10:54 Political Shift to the Right 20:52 New BRICS Payment System 24:29 172 Year Revolutionary Cycle 34:01 The Migrant Crisis and Rome 40:12 Socrates 47:18 How Can We Use This to Invest?
#dedollarization #marketcrash #geopolitics
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Armstrong argues that fiscal mismanagement, political corruption, and the weaponization of government institutions are driving civilizational breakdown similar to Rome's collapse, which will force a shift away from fiat currencies and centralized control toward alternative systems and eventually revolution by 2032.
- Deficit spending, excessive taxation, and unrealized gains taxes mirror historical patterns that preceded every revolution
- BRICS de-dollarization and alternative payment systems are rational responses to Western weaponization of SWIFT and sanctions regimes
- Migration crises, civil unrest, and institutional instability follow predictable cycles that Socrates computer has modeled
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Historical climate droughts in Asia and volcanic winter in the north drove mass migrations that destroyed Bronze Age civilizations (except Egypt) and later drove the Hunnic invasions of Europe.
“why did the Huns invade Europe you know basically there is a massive drought in Asia all right so people move the seea people what they go down and and they basically destroyed most of the Bronze Age civilizations except for the Egyptians again it was climate it turned really bitterly cold in the north and they called them the sea people they were just invading from the north so I mean climate has has caused throughout the centuries uh mass migrations uh just to survive”
Everything in the global economy is interconnected, so forecasting any single commodity (like gold) in isolation will be wrong because unexpected external factors always emerge.
“you have to look at the entire world because everything is connected so you're looking at Japan relative to Germany you know Etc so that's why I try to uh relay to people that you know if if you're just going to forecast Gold by itself you're going to be wrong because there's always a wild card that comes from the outside and how this is all connected”
China, the largest holder of US debt, started dumping $53 billion in the first quarter of 2024, prompting Treasury Secretary Yellen to travel and plead with China to keep buying US bonds.
“China was the largest holder of US debt they started dumping 53 billion the first quarter of this year now you have to you know Yellen hops on a plane from the treasury oh please keep buying our bonds all right and their response is what I should buy a hundred billion dollar worth of your debt so you can buy missiles to shoot us”
Country risk assessment is the first-order consideration for international investors; whether a nation has confiscated assets before is the primary disqualifying factor.
“your first consideration is is country risk uh would I invest in Iran no all right why because they confiscated assets before”
Lenin envisioned a federal Soviet system where states retained sovereignty and could secede; Stalin imposed central control instead, leading to the system's failure and likely poisoning Lenin to seize power.
“when Lenin um came into Power his idea was to be based upon the United States that each state retained its sovereignty uh and they could succeed if they wanted to that was Lenin's idea all right Stalin uh was the opposite central control and even Lenin I mean you can look I mean he wrote a letter please do not let Stalin secede me it's been largely considered that Stalin probably um poisoned him and his and his wife uh and then usurped all the power dictor to Central Command and that's why Russia failed”
The neocons don't understand that world peace requires mutual benefit; sanctions and trade wars destroy that benefit and cause people to seek conflict instead.
“the world peace is simply very I mean Rome showed us as long as everybody benefits they get along um you start interfering in that and you know that's when you get all these problems”
Every revolution in history is about tyranny and taxation. Governments progressively expand taxation by first targeting the wealthy and then expanding to middle class and everyday items.
“every Revolution every single Revolution what is it about it's about tyranny and Taxation all right American Revolution no taxation without representation all right you start doing this to people and once they do that they go oh we're only after the rich how many times have they said that they brought in the income tax in 1913 don't worry it's only going to be used against the rich people World War II comes you got payroll taxes”
Australia passed a luxury tax after World War II that was supposed to target Ferraris, fur coats, and French wine but expanded to include all electrical products: phones, cars, air conditioning, and refrigerators.
“I was in Australia same routine they're going to pass the luxury tax only to get the rich and this and the slogan was a great slogan we're going to tax their Ferraris their fur coats and their French wine right I only saw like maybe two Ferraris in in in Sydney because they were already 100% taxed to get them in um fur coats maybe down in Melbourne somebody wore one not in Sydney uh and nobody ever gave me French wine they always gave me Australian you know but it was a great slogan everybody cheered yeah go get them what was in it when it was pasted all Electrical Products phones cars uh you know air conditioning refrigerators suddenly you know anything besides a tent on the ground was luxury”
Governments lie about wars; Vietnam (no attack on USS Maddox), Iraq (no WMDs), and Libya (false narrative about civilian protection) demonstrate systematic war propaganda.
“they lie about absolutely everything there is never any truth to any War um I mean even Vietnam well that the tapes it out and whatever even Johnson said for all he knew is they were shooting at Wales that night we never attacked weapons of mass destruction never took place um archaeology uncovered the the lucania it was filled with arms which the government said no no we're not using CI civilians as cover for shipping arms illegally which they”
Government debt is completely unsecured; when governments default, creditors get nothing, unlike corporate bankruptcy where assets are sold and creditors recover something.
“if if General Motors went into bank bankruptcy they gather all the assets they sell them you get something back when a government defaults you get nothing absolutely nothing it's unsecured”
The Roman Republic collapsed into Empire 72 years after Caesar because the Republic was so corrupt with every Senator for sale that only centralized rule could restore order.
“this is even why you ended up in in an imperial version um 72 years later because it was with Augustus I mean uh because the Republic was just so corrupt every Senator is for sale uh and they're only going to vote in their own self-interest”
The oligarchic Roman Senate assassinated Caesar after he crossed the Rubicon because they saw him as a threat to their corruption; all cities opened their gates and people called him a hero.
“that's why they assassinated him all right it was a debt crisis but the debt crisis back then was let's say you you you bought a house for 100,000 dinari and now there's a real estate crash it's only worth 50,000 they still want the 100 they don't take the fif they don't take take the house back they wanted the full boat so and if you couldn't pay that they took your children and sold him into slavery that's what that crisis was about back then that's why seizure was he crossed the Rubicon because exactly what we're facing today you know and all the oligarchs they said oh you know Republic you know no sorry you know this this is even why you ended up in in an imperial version um 72 years later because it was with Augustus”
Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon because of a debt crisis where property owners still owed full purchase price even after real estate crash; courts would take children and sell them into slavery.
“it was a debt crisis but the debt crisis back then was let's say you you you bought a house for 100,000 dinari and now there's a real estate crash it's only worth 50,000 they still want the 100 they don't take the fif they don't take take the house back they wanted the full boat so and if you couldn't pay that they took your children and sold him into slavery”
Roman Emperor Valens invited Goths into the empire to help against Hunnic threats, but they were already trained militarily and turned against Rome, leading to his death in battle.
“the emperor valin um the Goths were like a Germanic tribe and they asked if they could come in because the Hans were then starting to come in from Asia so Valen thought okay fine he'll let them come in and they would build up his reserves basically train them militarily Etc to help support against the the the Huns well what happened was they figured out okay fine they're already now inside they've already been trained militarily they knew all the tactics uh I think we're going after you um there was a big battle and the Emperor valin died in the Battle”
Italy converted 30-day Treasury bills to 10-year bonds without asking creditors during a financial crisis, demonstrating governments will not honor obligations if survival requires breaking them.
“there are no rules and no laws that ever appli to them uh I can give you an example Italy uh when it got into a financial crisis um uh more than a decade ago how've they get out of it you bought 30-day paper we're converting it to 10 years so they didn't pay you um so don't think if you buy 30-day paper I'm safer than the 10 year no they can just change it at at will uh they're not trustworthy they will do whatever they have to to survive”
Right-wing political parties are surging globally (EU Parliament elections, Argentina's Milei, El Salvador) as a pendulum reaction to extreme leftward government overreach.
“we are seeing apparently a a shift towards what the media would dub the far right you know we we saw in the EU parliamentary elections right-wing parties sweep the vote um we're seeing things like uh Havier Malay in Argentina bu in uh El Salvador”
Raising capital gains tax to 44.6% would eliminate incentive to invest long-term and create jobs, because short-term income tax is only 39%—making long-term investment less attractive than speculation.
“you have Biden also out there saying he wants to raise capital gains to 44.6% all right you're undermining the very basis of that all right if you're going to buy and sell and be a short-term Trader that's normal income if you're going to invest long-term creating jobs that's capital gains going after that and going to 44.6% when a a capital you know a short term would be 39% uh guess what you don't invest anymore”
Term limits are necessary but impossible to implement because founding fathers only served 2 years and met 6 weeks per year, which prevented permanent corruption; once they got continuous power they removed term limits.
“you need term limits uh then you'll have more of a government by the people but you know if these lobbyist come in Hey listen you got to run in two years I'll give you a million dollars do this okay”
The 1929 crash resulted from capital concentration in the automobile industry (analogous to today's AI bubble), not from monetary factors. The US had a balanced budget and the dollar was strengthening in 1929, opposite of what people assume.
“and the automobile industry back then was kind of like the .com bubble or the AI bubble oh this is going to be you know and so everybody want to be part of that so that money stayed here and that that concentration of capital was what created the 1929 bubble uh I know a lot of people try to oh we're going to have this big crash and and and look at like they keep talking about 1929 they don't understand the facts of anything really in 29 the US had a balanced budget you know the dollar was going up dramatically”
The West needs war due to fiscal mismanagement; sovereign default becomes possible when countries stop buying debt, not at any particular debt level.
“you know why does the West us and Europe why do they need War it's based basically because of the um fiscal mismanagement you know um I mean a lot of people keep wondering like when's the deck going to explode blah blah blah all right and they don't understand how it functions all right this is comes back to what I was saying about uh the state department and blinking threatening China when China stopped buying and start selling 53 billion you now we're we're crossing that red line where Sovereign defaults become possible how uh when you it can keep going you can keep selling debt as long as people buy it when they stop buying that's when the default comes”
Christine Lagarde weaponized SWIFT against tax havens as IMF head, threatening to remove countries from the system, including the Vatican, establishing precedent for financial deplatforming.
“it was the bank of England um which came out and said oh well it should be programmable because a mother should be able to prevent their child from buying a chocolate bar for lunch instead of saying well once they do that then the government can you know it they lie about absolutely everything there is never any truth to any War um I mean even Vietnam well that the tapes it out and whatever even Johnson said for all he knew is they were shooting at Wales that night we never attacked weapons of mass destruction never took place um archaeology uncovered the the lucania it was filled with arms which the government said no no we're not using CI civilians as cover for shipping arms illegally which they”
Digital currencies enable programmable money where governments and parents can dictate what money is spent on (e.g., preventing chocolate bar purchases), allowing unprecedented control.
“take digital currencies I have been arguing against this in meetings for you know a long time and why they want that both Europe and United States uh genuinely believe that 35% of of the economy is not paying taxes eliminate cash and they'll get 35% more in taxes that's what this is always about you know and then it was the bank of England um which came out and said oh well it should be programmable because a mother should be able to prevent their child from buying a chocolate bar for lunch instead of saying well once they do that then the government can you know it”
Zelenskyy has outlawed Russian language, outlawed Russian Orthodox Christian faith, changed Orthodox Christmas to December 25, and abolished elections to prevent removal from power.
“you have zalinski um most of the press won't report the truth but um he basically has outlawed Russian speaking as a language he's outlawed the religion said they're not allowed to report to uh to Moscow to the patriarch which is kind of like their Pope he set up his own Pope in in kav and says You must report to him then he even changes Orthodox Christmas which is always in January he says no you're going to celebrate it December 25th now”
Both European and US governments believe eliminating cash and implementing programmable digital currencies will allow them to capture 35% of the economy currently in the shadow economy, making this about tax collection not consumer protection.
“I have been arguing against this in meetings for you know a long time and why they want that both Europe and United States uh genuinely believe that 35% of of the economy is not paying taxes eliminate cash and they'll get 35% more in taxes that's what this is always about you know and then it was the bank of England um which came out and said oh well it should be programmable because a mother should be able to prevent their child from buying a chocolate bar for lunch”
Keynesian economics gave government blessing to run deficits to support demand, but Keynes never endorsed running them indefinitely, and he also advocated cutting taxes as stimulus, which governments refuse to do.
“ever since keian economics started uh in the late you know Great Depression period he gave his Blessing to running a deficit uh to um Supply support for demand all right but ke never said to keep running these things indefinitely and he also said that if you want to S stimulate the economy you can also lower taxes they don't do that all right Kennedy did Reagan did everybody else is like voodoo economics”
The Obama administration weaponized SWIFT in 2014 against Russia over Crimea; when Swift refused initially, the US replaced the head of Swift in 2019 with someone who would comply with weaponization requests.
“when Obama back in 2014 went to Swift when Russia went into Crimea he did the same thing he went to them and says he wanted the Russia to be removed from the Swift system they refused they said you're not going to turn this into a weapon so what did they do they replaced the head of Swift in 2019 they go in there and say hey whatever you tell us to do we will do they committed suicide”
BRICS nations are developing a new payment system unaffected by sanctions not because fiat currencies are flawed, but because the West weaponized SWIFT to enforce compliance, demonstrating that de-dollarization is a rational geopolitical response.
“I think you have to understand why are they doing it to begin with all right um I know a lot of people say oh because the dollar you know is is Fiat Etc all this stuff well every currency in the world is all right so excuse me that's not the answer once they put in sanctions on Russia all right that was a major stupid decision because they showed the entire world hey if you don't do as we command we'll remove you from the Swift system”
The Roman Empire lasted nearly 1,000 years because it maintained low taxation (7%), allowed religious freedom, had no trade barriers or sanctions, and allowed constituent states to retain culture while benefiting from trade.
“the model I think the the best form of government probably was the Roman Empire uh it it it did last for nearly a thousand years they had you know Civil Wars back and forth but the main thing was the taxation was maybe about 7% but um you know the Christians wrongly said oh they have all these hundreds of of pagan gods they believed in freedom of religion so they didn't come in and Conquer okay you have to give up your gods and take ours uh so each state retained its culture uh whether it was a God or whatever they were you know they had they found it was beneficial because there was no trade barriers uh no trade sanctions and suddenly somebody in Gaul could make some pottery and sell it to somebody over in Syria you know um Everybody benefited and that's why they they it lasted so long as long as you're going to benefit um you don't want war”
Justice, according to Thrasybulus in Plato's dialogues, is defined as the self-interest of those in power regardless of government type, and human nature has not changed in 2,000 years.
“you can read Plato there was a debate between Socrates and thakis all right and thakis said Justice is the same regardless of whatever the government is if it's aristocrat dictatorial democracy or whatever he says justice is always defined as the self-interest of those in power he said that you're you're talking about you know more than 2,000 years ago nothing's changed human nature is the same”
In June 1998, Armstrong publicly predicted Russia's collapse in 30 days at a London Financial Times conference; Long-Term Capital Management collapse and 100-150 billion dollar outflow followed.
“probably all came to a head in in June 98 uh I gave a conference in London and I uh didn't realize that the London Financial Times had snuck in the back uh and I stood up and I said look Russia's going to collapse and I give it maybe about 30 days and they put it on the front page of the second section says Armstrong says Russia's going to collapse we're going to have all these nukes running around uh and that was the collapse that was long-term Capital Management and all that stuff um uh we saw 100 billion going in but we saw 150 billion coming out”
Western governments have attacked human liberty through discrimination against non-transgender people by forcing language changes (e.g., 'birthing person' instead of 'mother') and imposing gender ideology on young children.
“you're attacking absolutely everybody you know at at that stage I don't want to call my mother a birthing person you know um I mean you're you're it's one thing to be discriminated against but you're taking discrimination against everybody else um and that really provokes responses back and forth”
Bill Gates became the largest landowner in the US because inheritance taxes and property valuation tricks forced farmers to sell land to pay taxes.
“so that's why Bill Gates is the biggest landh older now uh you have Monsanto Etc you've destroyed the the common you know basic farmer”
The 'democracy' label is propaganda because voters do not have rights over major decisions: Vietnam (drafted 18-year-olds unable to vote), current wars decided by executive without popular vote approval, showing republics are more like dictatorships dressed in voting language.
“in a democracy we have the right to vote shall we go to war with Russia yes or no you're never asked that they just do it you know was like Vietnam I mean uh that was a joke you were 18 you're old enough to die you couldn't even have a drink and you weren't allowed to vote but that's democracy that's you know more of a dictatorship you know um but you know they have their propaganda ways of selling all this stuff and it it's uh you move extremely to the left is what they have done”
Taxing unrealized gains would force wealthy people and corporations to sell assets to pay taxes, which would crash the stock market and destroy farming (like inheritance taxes did).
“Janet Yellen saying oh well we should tax these billionaires on unrealized gains all right what happens all right you've got stock you doubled your money but you didn't sell it yet oh Well we want the taxes on it now guess what you're forced to now sell to pay the tax that's what destroyed farming you know the farmer died he left it to his family they come in and say oh this land if you build departments on it' be worth this much and so then they put in like this you know inheritance taxes it forced them to sell land just to pay the tax”
The real issue in Rome's migration crisis was cultural: migrants were not assimilating and retained hostile cultures, unlike European immigration to America where discrimination forced assimilation.
“what you if you read the historians back then the real issue is culture you can't you know just look at Europe I mean they they have more of a migrant crisis than we do mainly because the the majority of the people that that invaded Europe were Islam and so then you have uh Sweden where the police said they won't even go into areas and they put up signs sheer law takes place here you know this is different than the migrations from Europe to America and I'm you know when I actually met with people that were creating the Euro I tried to explain to them I said you don't understand what made the United States great it wasn't a single Cur currency uh I said it was discrimination they said oh how can you possibly say that I said it's very easy whoever was last off the boat to get a job they had to learn to speak English all right so the first generation okay the second generation was raised here and so if you ask an American or you know even a Canadian what are you well I'm half German half Irish or whatever you don't see that in Europe all right because of the differences in language culture Etc it keeps them divided America became the Melting Pot but it was actually discrimination so the problem we have with the migration crisis is that these people are not coming here to assimilate they're coming here basically to and retaining their culture and that's why you see burning of churches and things of this nature in Europe”
If Supreme Court removes presidential immunity, it will apply equally to Biden and all future presidents, creating precedent that transforms US from rule of law to banana republic.
“take the you know everybody's up in arms over the the question of immunity with Trump and the Supreme Court um if the Supreme Court that were to take away immunity from Trump you're taking you away from Biden all right it becomes a precedent um and the Supreme Court I think understands this and they're not going to do something absolutely crazy because this will affect everything you know you're you're trans forming United States from a rule of law to a banic republic”
New York City government is weaponizing the justice system, using property valuation arguments against Trump that contradict how the banking system works; institutions are getting out.
“what you know they've done to Trump in New York City is so absurd uh that there is effectively let's say you you you know you put in for a loan to to buy a building well we think the build building's worth a million dollars the bank gives you the the mortgage and the government comes well no we think that's fraud because it was really only 800 all right um and the banks said we're fine you know because the bank lent money based upon what its assessment was and this is the case with Trump the problem is U and I can tell you many institutions that I talk to they're getting out you know it's not a place um to invest anymore”
Florida residents sided with DeSantis against Disney's opposition to gender education restrictions for grades 1-4, showing public consensus that sex education should not start in early childhood, contradicting progressive cultural agenda.
“you mean here even in Florida they were going after DeSantis with Disney it's like oh don't say gay you know these were grades you know one to four we're not talking about high school all right you know where you're at least you know going through puberty or something um and I think most people down here were siding with with disantis you know you're not going to start teaching a you know a seven-year-old you know about what sex is and are you sure you want to be a boy”
Neoconservatives are in full control of the White House and the State Department, running around threatening war with China over Taiwan, Ukraine, and the Middle East.
“right now you know we're we're looking at um our people people who are neocons are in full control of of the White House um and I'm not trying to be political or anything like that but I mean I mean I've dealt with administrations and I can tell you that the role of the president really is he sits at that cabinet meeting and he's the referee and all these agencies are like a bunch of two-year-old kids they all went their own way all right um so somebody has to be the referee and Biden's just not there you know he's not he's in Delaware 40% of the time so um this is why they like him they want him to stay there because they get to do their own thing you you have you know the EPA you know outlawing gesto I mean I grew up at gas stove I think I'm still alive you know um you have the the neocons in full control of the of the state department they're running around threatening war with China over Taiwan you know Ukraine and Russia Middle East”
COVID revealed systemic corruption: Ursula von der Leyen refused to release emails about Pfizer negotiations, and Australian mayors were caught taking $10 million bribes from Pfizer.
“just look at the covid mess I mean you you have Ursula over in in in Europe refusing to give up her emails because of you know with with fizer I mean U you had a basically a mayor down in Australia caught taking $10 million bribe from fizer”
Most Ukrainians view Zelenskyy as a traitor because he takes orders from Washington (Blinken) and cannot seek peace without permission, which prevented a peace deal when Boris Johnson intervened to kill negotiations with Putin.
“I talk to a lot of ukrainians they think he's the biggest traitor ever because he just takes orders from from the West he's not concerned about the people um that really came up when uh there was a peace agreement with Putin and Boris Johnson from Britain you know hopped on a plane went over and told zalinski no you cannot have peace all right kill the deal that made the front page of the Ukrainian press”
Defense stocks moved several days before the Hamas attack on Israel, showing insider trading on impending geopolitical events.
“the same thing with the just the recent Hamas attack in Israel all the defense stocks started moving several days before”
Without term limits, lobbyists offer multi-million dollar campaign funding to get legislators elected, requiring them to do lobbyist bidding; COVID voting patterns showed direct correlation between who voted for COVID measures and who received Pfizer funding.
“if these lobbyist come in Hey listen you got to run in two years I'll give you a million dollars do this okay you know uh just look down at at who basically everybody that voted for the covid and how much money they got from fizer and the rest of them um this is not a democracy we do not live in a democracy we do not have the right to vote on anything”
Civilization functions when all parties benefit from the system; when one side says 'it's my turn and you have to do what I say,' that is dictatorship, not civilization.
“civilization functions when everybody benefits when one side says it's my turn and you're going to do what I tell you to do that's not civilization all right that's more of a dictatorship”
Western governments' aggressive threats toward China over Taiwan, combined with China's dumping of US Treasury debt, reflect a geopolitical miscalculation where the West expects military dominance to overcome economic interdependence—but it won't.
“you have the the neocons in full control of the of the state department they're running around threatening war with China over Taiwan you know Ukraine and Russia Middle East um and the problem is that is that China was the largest holder of US debt they started dumping 53 billion”
Dictators cannot be bribed, but monarchs and parliamentarians/congresspeople can be; republics are the most corrupt form of government.
“once they get power I don't care what government you're looking at they always always want more and unfortunately republics are the the most corrupt uh even a dictator you can't bribe a dictator and you can't bribe a monarch but you can bribe everybody that's in Parliament or or congress”
Physical precious metals held directly are safer than those in storage facilities because governments will seize stored metals (as Roosevelt did with bank gold), but cannot easily locate privately held gold.
“I would even those that are interested like in precious metals or whatever um I would take physical delivery you know it's even if it's in a storage facility it's at risk because what happens is like when you look at at Roosevelt's confiscation of gold um he didn't go knocking on every door and say give me all the gold in your sock drawer all right uh it was all the the banks whatever gold they have to comply so any formal type institution any storage facility they know where they are and they come in you'll go to prison unless you do what we tell you uh and so they will hand over whatever they have there so if you think that you're safe because you got a whole bunch of stuff in some storage facility good luck you know those things are not going to be uh if the government wants them they will go after them”
Current governments (Biden, Trudeau) attempting one-size-fits-all policies (e.g., federal abortion rules, language bans) will cause Canada, US, and Europe to break apart, just as the Soviet Union did.
“the Soviet Union broke up the same way you're going to see Canada is going to break up us is going to break up uh Europe will break up one size does not fit all and it's never worked throughout history”
Each agency in the Biden administration is operating independently pursuing its own agenda with no presidential coordination; the president is supposed to be the referee between warring agencies.
“the role of the president really is he sits at that cabinet meeting and he's the referee and all these agencies are like a bunch of two-year-old kids they all went their own way all right um so somebody has to be the referee and Biden's just not there”
Fiscal mismanagement by government since the Roosevelt administration, rooted in socialism and bribery of voters to retain power, is the fundamental cause of today's economic problems.
“our problem today uh stems from that fiscal mismanagement of government that took place starting with the with the Roosevelt administration um and it it is really attributable to socialism because they feel they have to keep bribing the people to retain power and that promotes deficit spending vote for me and I'll give you this”
A Saudi Arabian shipping magnate called Armstrong asking what gold would do, then told him Iran was attacking Gulf shipping tomorrow; people with inside knowledge call before events occur.
“we had another client in Saudi Arabia who was one of the biggest shippers in in the Middle East and he called and he says uh Iran's going to start attacking shipping in the Gulf tomorrow what do you think Gold's GNA do do she tell me a war is going to start tomorrow yeah yeah yeah what do you think um I began to realize that there are when you get into these situations there are people who know something's going to happen”
People should avoid buying real estate in blue states like California and New York because governments are hostile to investment and will seize assets through legal manipulation.
“you have people migrating from the blue states to the red States uh California is looking at putting in an exit tax because so many people are leaving um you certainly don't want to buy real estate there uh you know if you do have real estate sell it before it's too late same thing with New York um what you know they've done to Trump in New York City is so absurd uh that there is effectively let's say you you you know you put in for a loan to to buy a building well we think the build building's worth a million dollars the bank gives you the the mortgage and the government comes well no we think that's fraud because it was really only 800”
The 172-year Revolutionary cycle indicates civil unrest is approaching; this is derived from Socrates' analysis of historical patterns showing revolutions cluster around multi-generational intervals.
“I want to touch on some of your recent research starting with the theme of civil unrest could you talk to us about the 172e Revolutionary cycle and how it is relevant to the situation we find ourselves in today well you know I mean look you have absolute Insanity coming out of the Biden Administration”
Socrates is a computer system created in the 1970s to monitor the entire world and show all data is connected; it was later discovered to forecast wars.
“I created it back in the 70s largely as a uh to monitor the entire world and I understood everything was connected all right I didn't realize that it could forecast Wars uh that came up in in the early 88s”
Armstrong does not foresee republican forms of government surviving much beyond 2032, and eventually the world will end up in revolution.
“I don't see our Republican forms of government surviving much Beyond 2032 and the real history of Julius Caesar is that when he crossed the Rubicon it was the Senate that fled to Asia”
People are increasingly buying real estate, collectibles, and gold rather than holding bank deposits or government bonds because they perceive government untrustworthiness and know a problem is coming; this capital flight from financial institutions signals systemic risk.
“you're seeing um not just China backing off but you're seeing domestically real estate still Rising um people are taking money out of the banks they're buying real estate they're buying you know uh Collectibles they're buying gold uh not every everybody buys one thing you know it's uh but this is you know people just afraid of government they know there's a problem coming um they don't uh respect Biden at all”
Socrates predicted Lebanon's civil war exactly 8 days in advance when analyzing Lebanese pound data back to 1850; the client (major Lebanese bank) already knew this was coming and used the model to confirm timing.
“we had a client which was um uh one of the major banks in Lebanon and they found a ledger down there in their basement and with somebody had written down the Lebanese pound back to like 1850 or something and asked us if we could create a model I said sure So we put in all the data and the computer came out and said their country was going to fall apart in 8 days I thought there was something wrong with the data I called them I said look this is not valid I mean it's this is what it told me and very calmly they said well what currency would you recommend I said well it said the Swiss frank um eight days later the Civil War began”
The United States was virtually bankrupt in 1896, requiring JP Morgan to lend $100 million to bail out the treasury.
“if you look at had it like the US was virtually bankrupt in 1896 you know JP Morgan had to lend 100 million to bail out the treasury back then”
After World War II, the United States accumulated 76% of the entire official world gold reserves because capital fled war-torn Europe and Asia to America.
“after World War I we were the financial capital of the world but World War Two we ended up with 76% of the entire official World gold reserves so when you have tanks running around blowing up Banks and stuff like that on your street you're not going to leave your money there everything came to the United States”
Volcanic winter from major volcanic eruptions (like Krakatoa) can create multi-year crop failures, and climate change is far more complex than government climate activists portray.
“you know you can go look at a book you know the The Year Without a summer you know you get a a volcano you know with seven status volcano goes up and it creates volcanic winter and guess what you know food won't grow uh it's you know the climate is much more complicated than these people talk about”
The Trump prosecution in New York is absurd and unprecedented; the government claimed Trump committed fraud by overvaluing a building, but the bank that lent the mortgage agreed with Trump's valuation when it issued the loan, making the government's fraud claim retroactive and lawless.
“what you know they've done to Trump in New York City is so absurd uh that there is effectively let's say you you you know you put in for a loan to to buy a building well we think the build building's worth a million dollars the bank gives you the the mortgage and the government comes well no we think that's fraud because it was really only 800 all right um and the banks said we're fine you know because the bank lent money based upon what its assessment was and this is the case with Trump the problem is U and I can tell you many institutions that I talk to they're getting out you know it's not a place um to invest anymore”
History repeats because human nature never changes; a mother grieves for her war-dead son today as she did 2,000 years ago in Rome.
“and that's why history repeats because human nature never changes you know people think oh we look at Rome there's just a bunch of people running around in diapers and throwing Spears sorry you know it's human nature a mother died for you know cried for her son that died in war back then as she would today”
Marxist socialism failed because it attacks human nature; Russia and China both collapsed because of it.
“the whole Marxist agenda uh it failed you know that's what Russia collapsed um China collapsed on it because you're you you are basically attacking human nature”
COVID mask mandates in Berlin were absurdly arbitrary: planes required masks entering but could remove them after leaving airspace over Berlin.
“I can tell you in in in Germany when you you were be on a plane and the mayor there in Berlin was still crazy with his o covid nonsense and they come on and say we're entering you know Berlin you have to put your mask on and when the train leaves Berlin okay you can take it off now”
Justice Department weaponization is demonstrated by prosecuting Steve Bannon, an unprecedented use of government power previously unseen.
“they've weaponized the justice department um you know look Steve Bannon they're throwing him in prison you know me you you've never seen stuff like this before”
The decision to suppress Trump's immigration policies and ban gas stoves through EPA action reflects neoconservative overreach that misunderstands basic issues (e.g., growing up with gas stoves causes no health harm) and provokes public resistance.
“you have the EPA you know outlawing gesto I mean I grew up at gas stove I think I'm still alive you know”
Women's sports integrity is being undermined by transgender athletes who transitioned from male to female and now dominate competitions, depriving biological women of fair competition.
“most people you know I think reasonable people realize that you know these guys that change into a woman then be joining the women's sports and then beat everybody I mean it's not fair um you're depriving real women of the right to be able to have their own you know agenda uh these guys who couldn't win in the male side so they change their sex and they go on the opposite side”
Socrates is showing major volatility coming in September (current timeframe of interview).
“and so like it's showing you know major uh volatility coming this September”