In this episode of the Solutions With David Ansara podcast, I speak with Alex Gladstein, Head of Strategy at the Human Rights Foundation, about the relationship between Bitcoin and human rights.

Alex and I discuss why currency stability and asset security have been so absent from international human rights discussions. Until now. 

Alex argues that the emergence of Bitcoin is enabling people in unstable economies to protect their savings from currency debasement and devaluation. In authoritarian regimes, human rights activists are now able to access foreign donor funding, and Bitcoin is also lowering the cost of remittances, he says.

We also talk about the global financial system and the 'special privilege' enjoyed by the United States Dollar as an international reserve currency. This has enabled the US Federal Reserve to vastly increase the money supply, which is now leading to growing inflation in the US and elsewhere. 

Alex and I explore whether Bitcoin could offer a viable long-term alternative to the current dollar-based system.

TIMESTAMPS

(00:00:00) Intro

(00:01:00) Alex Gladstein on the work of the Human Rights Foundation

(00:04:44) Alex Gladstein on Bitcoin and human rights

(00:17:20) Alex Gladstein on Bitcoin as digital property rights

(00:28:19) Alex Gladstein on BTC price volatility

(00:37:34) Alex Gladstein on asset price inflation

(00:39:51) Alex Gladstein on governments banning Bitcoin

(00:43:39) Alex Gladstein on inflation

(00:48:55) Alex Gladstein on shifts in global politics

(00:48:55) Alex Gladstein on how to get started with Bitcoin

(01:03:04) Conclusion

RESOURCES

About Alex Gladstein: https://hrf.org/team/alex-gladstein/

'The Village and the Strongman: The unlikely story of Bitcoin and El Salvador' by Alex Gladstein (Bitcoin Magazine, 16 September 2021):

https://bitcoinmagazine.com/culture/the-polarity-of-bitcoin-in-el-salvador

'Why you shouldn't be worried about a Bitcoin ban' by Rob Price (Bitcoin Magazine, 5 May 2021): https://bitcoinmagazine.com/culture/why-governments-cant-ban-bitcoin

'The Lords of Easy Money: How the Federal Reserve Broke the American Economy' by Christopher Leonard (2022): https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Lords-of-Easy-Money/Christopher-Leonard/9781982166632