Postcards: There’s Extreme Risk and Reward on the Roof of the World

China wants to become an "Arctic" nation. Will America and Europe let it?

Dear Fellow Expat:

Assume for a moment that the world moves away from the dollar-based economic system of post-World War II years. After all, some 41 nations want to join the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) in a global economic bloc able to wean itself off the U.S. dollar.

You’ve probably heard a lot about this possible event. And while it might seem inevitable, the real debate lies in how long it will take for a gold-backed BRICS currency to come to fruition and gain the collective trust of businesses in nations all around the world.

Of course, if you think the Federal Reserve is insane… you’ll love the unaccountable authoritarian leaders of the BRICS, all supported by the Bank of China.

But consider the idea of a gold-backed currency that would replace the dollar – and be used to accelerate trade in industrial commodities like copper, silver, gold, oil, natural gas, and more.

In a world like that, what becomes the most valuable real estate?

Some might argue farmland…