# Avoding Nation-State Handcuffs

*The race for financial and energy independence*

By [Jer979](https://paragraph.com/@jer979) · 2023-04-27

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I’ve started to explore aspects of the energy markets and the technologies that make them work, both today and, possibly, tomorrow.

An excellent book I just started, called “[The Grid,](https://amzn.to/3HfmVTq)” by Gretchen Bakke which highlights a critical part of the energy delivery system which we all know about, but don’t always think about.

In that book, one of the ideas presented is that of “energy independence.”

And keep in mind, this book was written before the Russia-Ukraine war (as was this [very prescient tweet)](https://twitter.com/wolfejosh/status/1097702431050194945).

It occurred to me that, what we may be seeing now globally, is a new wave of independence movements.

Not in the first sense of nation-states and geographic independence, but in terms of financial (Bitcoin vs. USD, for example) and energy (not so good when Russia or OPEC has you by the balls, eh?)

The countries that can break free from a system where their security, not just physical, but energy and financial, are dependent upon others, would seem to be better positioned than those who can’t or won’t.

Probably explains why defense spending [hit a record](https://www.wsj.com/articles/global-military-spending-hits-record-amid-ukraine-china-tensions-e8224262) last year.

Globalization is great and people want the benefits…but not if it comes with golden (or not-so-golden) handcuffs.

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*Originally published on [Jer979](https://paragraph.com/@jer979/avoding-nation-state-handcuffs)*