Erik Prince is an American businessman, former U.S. Navy SEAL, and the founder of Blackwater, a private military company established in 1997. A graduate of Hillsdale College, Prince heads Frontier Resource Group, a private equity firm, and promotes economic development in emerging markets. Prince, a vocal advocate for privatizing military operations and deregulation, has been linked to controversial arms deals and Trump-era political operations. Erik Bethel is a General Partner at Mare Liberum, a fund focused on sustainability and national security in the maritime domain. He is a global finance professional with experience in the private and public sectors. In 2020, he was nominated to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Panama. Previously, he was nominated by the President and confirmed unanimously by the Senate to represent the United States at the World Bank. At the World Bank, Erik participated in the analysis and deployment of over $100 billion of capital in the developing world through grants, loans, equity investments, and other financial products. Previously, Erik spent over twenty years working as an investment banker and private equity professional at Franklin Templeton Investments, J.P. Morgan, and Morgan Stanley. Erik earned a BS in economics and political science from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis and an MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He serves on several Boards, including the United States Naval War College Foundation, is a Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and is an Advisor to Oxford Analytica - a geopolitical think tank. He speaks Spanish, Portuguese, and Mandarin. Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkoujZQZatbqy4KGcgjpVxQ/join Shawn Ryan Show Links SUBSCRIBE: http://www.youtube.com/@ShawnRyanShow Sign up: https://shawnryanshow.com/pages/newsletter Support the Show: https://www.patreon.com/VigilanceElite Download Free Content: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lF-8_5jwRc5eAhzDkqqCOp-6yvd05vAw?usp=sharing Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shawn-ryan-show/id1492492083 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5eodRZd3qR9VT1ip1wI7xQ?si=59f9d106e56a4509 Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shawnryanshow Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shawnryanshow/ Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shawnryanshow/ Follow on X: https://twitter.com/ShawnRyanShow SRS Podcast Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4pqo9Uoh0WuUKxw0BmaK1yrg9Kd7E4lk #vigilanceelite #shawnryanshow #geopolitics #china #taiwan #news Erik Prince X - https://x.com/therealErikP LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-prince Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/off-leash-with-erik-prince Frontier Resource Group - https://www.frgroup.com Erik Bethel LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-bethel-692604/ Mare Liberum - https://www.mareliberumcapital.com/ Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors: ⁠https://www.roka.com⁠ - USE CODE SRS ⁠https://www.bubsnaturals.com/shawn⁠ ⁠https://www.shawnlikesgold.com⁠ ⁠https://www.moinkbox.com/srs⁠ ⁠https://www.paladinpower.com/srs⁠ ⁠https://uscca.com/srs⁠ CHAPTER MARKERS 00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome 00:34 Taiwan's Historical Context 05:31 China's Modern History and Economic Policies 08:38 Surveillance and Social Control in China 17:35 Governance and Economic Systems 24:42 China's Belt and Road Initiative 46:54 Geopolitical Concerns: Taiwan and China 01:31:47 Taiwan's Defense Strategy 01:35:45 Cybersecurity Threats 01:53:25 Unrestricted Warfare 01:55:14 Fentanyl Crisis as a Weapon 01:59:43 American Innovation and Resilience 02:08:59 Global Implications of Taiwan's Fall 02:15:30 Conclusion and Call to Action