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In this episode of At the Boundary, William Parker, a Business Librarian at the University of South Florida (USF) sat down with GNSI’s Strategy and Research Manager Dr. Tad Schnaufer to the newest GNSI Decision Brief, "Assessing BRICS Gold Holdings."

They discussed how BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) have been increasing their gold reserves in an effort to challenge Western financial systems and reduce reliance on the U.S. dollar. The conversation also explores the role of gold in a nation’s financial and economic credibility.

Some of the key topics discussed include:

• What BRICS and BRICS+ represent, and why their expansion matters geopolitically
• Why gold still matters, even when some nations have dropped the gold standard
• The potential shortcomings of fiat currencies
• The potential for BRICS nations to offer an alternative to the US dollar in the global financial structure
• How physical gold can act as a tool to circumvent sanctions
• What other metals, if any, could compete with gold as a monetary standard
• “Currency decoupling” and its effects on monetary systems

Links From the Episode:

• Assessing BRICS Gold Holdings Decision Brief

• 2025 Notes From Cambridge

• Lessons from the Russia-Ukraine War GNSI Summit

• Axis of Resistance GNSI Research Initiative

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At the Boundary from the Global and National Security Institute at the University of South Florida, features global and national security issues we’ve found to be insightful, intriguing, fascinating, maybe controversial, but overall just worth talking about.

A "boundary" is a place, either literal or figurative, where two forces exist in close proximity to each other. Sometimes that boundary is in a state of harmony. More often than not, that boundary has a bit of chaos baked in. The Global and National Security Institute will live on the boundary of security policy and technology and that's where this podcast will focus.

The mission of GNSI is to provide actionable solutions to 21st-century security challenges for decision-makers at the local, state, national and global levels. We hope you enjoy At the Boundary.

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