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The World Isn’t Run by Countries Anymore. It’s Run by Flows 🔥 We grow up believing countries are the primary actors on the global stage. Maps show boundaries. Textbooks show wars. News shows summits. But once you look beneath the surface You realize something wild: > It’s not countries running the world anymore. It’s flows of money, resources, data, and influence. 1. The Dollar Runs Deeper Than Democracy The U.S. may no longer be the global police, But it remains the global accountant. Why? Because 80% of global trade is settled in dollars. That means even if Brazil sells oil to India, the payment likely passes through New York. That’s why America can sanction you without firing a bullet. Dollar = Silent Weapon. 2. China Doesn’t Take Land. It Buys Loyalty. China’s genius isn’t war, it’s leverage. With the Belt & Road Initiative, it has: Built over 100 ports, roads, and railways across Africa, Asia, and Europe. Lent over $1 trillion to emerging nations. But these aren’t just “loans.” They’re soft control. Miss a payment? Lose a port. Need infrastructure? Play by China’s rules. China doesn’t invade. It integrates. 3. Corporations Are the New Superpowers - Apple’s cash reserves are more than India’s defense budget. - Amazon’s logistics rival national postal systems. - Meta influences elections more than national news outlets. - Google Maps redrew borders in pixels. These companies don’t just sell products. They shape perception. And perception = power. Today, tech platforms have more global influence than most governments. And they’re unelected. 4. Attention Is the New Oil Want power? Don’t chase land. Chase attention. TikTok, Netflix, YouTube, they’re not just entertainment. They’re cultural weapons. China owns TikTok. The U.S. owns Netflix. India owns... your WhatsApp groups. What you watch = what you think = how you vote. Today’s battles happen in feeds, not fields. 5. India: The Giant Still Finding Its Grip India has the talent. India has the market. India has the chaos that breeds innovation. But here’s the hard truth: > India isn’t a global power yet because it’s still stuck fighting itself. - ONDC was supposed to challenge Amazon. It's stuck in a maze of bureaucracy, inconsistent UX, and confused execution. - Make in India is often just “Assemble in India” still importing core components. - UPI is world-class, but where’s the global monetization play? - Tech founders still build for VC slides, not for real value. Despite this, India remains the world’s most important question mark. Because: It has 1 billion internet users. It will have the world’s largest workforce by 2030. And it’s not afraid of jugaad the hustle DNA is real. India is a work-in-progress superpower. Sloppy. Loud. Political. But impossible to ignore. It won’t win by copying Silicon Valley or Shenzhen. It’ll win by being... itself. When it figures that out, the world better watch out. Final Thought: > The 21st century isn’t about flags. It’s about flows of money, data, ideas, and influence. Countries still matter. But corporations, algorithms, and flows matter more. So if you're building anything today... Don’t just study maps. Study systems. That’s where the power really lies.