The Front Row Podcast #77- George Yeo : How To Survive In A New Age of Chaos
Mar 11, 2026
George Yeo, former Singapore Cabinet Minister and diplomat turned business adviser and public intellectual. He discusses the collapse of global stability, the rise of a fragmented multipolar world, AI’s role in new networks, how civilizations perceive conflict differently, China’s priorities and reserves, US political shifts and the dollar’s future, and how small states should navigate great-power tensions.
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China Seeks Earthly Order Not Afterlife Salvation
- China blends governance and moral philosophy, aiming to 'bring paradise to the earth' through social order rather than individual salvation.
- Yeo contrasts this with Western religious aims and notes Singaporeans live between these civilisational logics.
Trump Accelerates Historical Cracks Not Create Them
- Donald Trump acts as an accelerant of existing fissures in the international order rather than the root cause.
- Yeo argues Trump's behaviour deepens splits with allies, hastening Europe's search for autonomy and accelerating historical trends.
Fiat Stands On Law While Gold Hedges Fiat Risk
- Fiat currencies rest on enforceable law backed ultimately by coercion; gold and other tangible stores remain a hedge against fiat risk.
- Yeo notes China and Russia have been buying gold and that Bitcoin lacks intrinsic backing beyond a speculative 'casino'.