Ray Dalio just dropped the MOST IMPORTANT macro framework for understanding what's happening right now.
(THIS IS HOW TO POSITION!)
And most people are completely missing it.
At the Munich Security Conference, world leaders officially declared the post-1945 order DEAD.
Not "at risk."
Not "under pressure."
Dead.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz: "The world order as it has stood for decades no longer exists."
French President Macron: "Europe's security structures are gone. Prepare for war."
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio: "We're in a "new geopolitics era" because the "old world" is gone."
This isn't political theater. This is Stage 6 of Dalio's Big Cycle; the period where there are no rules, might is right, and great powers clash.
Here's what nobody's connecting:
The International Order Follows the Law of the Jungle:
Dalio makes this crystal clear: International relations aren't governed by law. They're governed by power.
The UN doesn't matter when individual countries have more power than the collective.
When disputes happen between powerful nations, they don't get lawyers. They threaten each other and either reach agreements or fight.
There are five types of wars between nations:
1. Trade/economic wars
2. Technology wars
3. Geopolitical wars
4. Capital wars
5. Military wars
We're already in the first four with China. The question is whether we escalate to #5.
The Greatest Risk Is When Powers Are Equal:
Dalio's principle:
The greatest risk of military war is when both parties have:
1) Comparable military power and
2) Irreconcilable existential differences.
Sound familiar?
US vs China over Taiwan checks both boxes.
We're at the exact inflection point where neither side has clear dominance and both have red lines they won't compromise.
This is the prisoner's dilemma at scale.
The Cycle Is Playing Out Exactly Like the 1930s:
Dalio walks through the entire playbook:
> Economic depression → internal wealth conflicts
> Countries turn to populist, autocratic, nationalistic leaders
> Protectionist policies (tariffs) to protect domestic jobs
> Economic wars escalate for 10 years before hot wars begin
> Resource competition intensifies (then it was oil, now it's chips and rare earths)
In the 1930s, Germany and Japan went broke, turned fascist, and decided seizing resources by force was more cost-effective than trading.
Japan invaded Manchuria for resources in 1931.
The US imposed sanctions and oil embargoes in 1941.
Pearl Harbor happened six months later.
Before Shooting Wars, There Are Economic Wars:
The US froze Japanese assets, closed the Panama Canal to their ships, and embargoed 80% of their oil.
Japan calculated they'd run out of oil in two years.
So they attacked.
Today's playbook:
> Asset freezes/seizures (Iran, Russia)
> Blocking capital markets access (threatening China)
> Embargoes/blockades (semiconductors, critical minerals)
We're using the exact same tactics. Just with different targets.
The Winner? Whoever Can Outspend the Other
Dalio's principle: Financial strength to outspend rivals is the most important strength a country can have.
That's how the US beat the USSR in the Cold War. Spend enough in the right ways, and you don't need a shooting war.
But here's the problem:
$38 trillion national debt. $1 trillion/year in interest payments alone.
We're borrowing money to pay debt service while trying to outspend China in an AI/defense arms race.
China has $3+ trillion in reserves and a command economy that can redirect resources instantly.
The math is getting harder for us.
What Happens Next:
Dalio's framework says we're in Stage 6, great disorder arising from a period where there are no rules.
The post-1945 order that kept peace for 80 years is gone.
We're entering a period where power, not law, determines outcomes.
Economic wars are already here (trade, tech, capital, geopolitics).
The only question is whether they escalate to military conflict.
And based on Dalio's research across 500+ years of history:
When powers are roughly equal and differences are irreconcilable, wars happen.
The smart play is to negotiate win-win outcomes where both sides get what matters most without losing what matters most.
But stupid wars happen constantly because of:
> Prisoner's dilemma (strike first or get struck)
> Tit-for-tat escalation
> Perceived costs of backing down
> Fast decision making under pressure
How to Position for Stage 6:
Dalio's wartime playbook is explicit:
During wars, governments control everything. They determine what gets produced, what can be bought/sold, prices, wages, access to your own assets, and capital flows.
Stock markets get closed. Currencies become worthless between non-allied countries. Wealth gets redistributed forcibly through confiscation or peacefully through massive taxes and money printing.
His advice: "Sell out of all debt and buy gold because wars are financed by borrowing and printing money, which devalues debt and money."
But there's more nuance for 2026 - Own the Bottlenecks:
The US is entering an arms race where financial strength to outspend rivals determines the winner.
That means massive defense spending, AI infrastructure buildout, and securing critical supply chains.
Defense contractors with sole-source positioning; $KRKNF, $ONDS
Critical minerals the US doesn't control;
Tungsten $ALM, Indium $TECK, Antimony $UAMY
AI infrastructure that governments MUST build;
$IREN, $NBIS.
Domestic manufacturing alternatives to China:
$CPSH for AlSiC, $LPTH for Germanium.
Avoid Long-Duration Debt:
Dalio's clear: wars are financed by printing money and debt monetization.
Long-term bonds get destroyed. Debt and credit become worthless.
If you're in bonds, you're on the wrong side of history.
Real Assets Over Paper:
Gold. Commodities. Equity in companies that produce essential goods.
When governments need resources for war, they redirect them. They don't ask permission.
The companies that control physical bottlenecks (power, critical materials, defense systems) can't be bypassed.
Geographic Diversification:
Dalio notes that in wartime, capital controls get imposed. You can't move money out of the country.
Having assets in multiple jurisdictions matters. But choose carefully, you want to be in countries that will be on the winning side or stay neutral.
The Real Trade:
This isn't about timing the market.
It's about recognizing that the rules that governed investing for 80 years are gone.
We're entering a period where power determines outcomes, governments control resources, and wealth gets forcibly redistributed.
The winners will be those who own what governments need and can't easily confiscate or devalue.
The losers will be those holding paper promises in a world where promises don't matter anymore.
Position accordingly.
Note: This is NOT financial advice.
