Coffee and a Mike Col. Lawrence Wilkerson #1378
17 snips
May 12, 2026 
Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, retired Army colonel and former chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell, offers sharp geopolitical commentary. He discusses surveillance near his home and worries about domestic militarization. He assesses Trump-China dynamics, corporate power and technocracy, nuclear risks and escalation in Iran, and shifting alliances across Europe, Korea, and the globe.
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China Has Become A De Facto Treaty Partner For Iran
- Wilkerson expects Trump might cancel a China trip because Xi could press him over China's support for Iran, which now resembles a treaty-level partnership.
- He says tech CEOs may attend because U.S.-China tech ties are among the few remaining leverage points.
Tech Oligarchs Are Pushing A Technocratic Agenda
- Corporations and wealthy tech backers have long influenced U.S. policy; Wilkerson traces this from Gilded Age tycoons to today's Thiel and Musk.
- He warns these actors now push for a technocracy using AI and seek massive population reductions.
How Glass-Steagall Repeal Reopened Corporate Dominance
- Wilkerson recounts how New Deal limits on corporate power were eroded, notably via Glass-Steagall repeal under Clinton.
- He connects historical robber barons to modern tech financiers as recurring concentrated power players.