Nations don’t just compete with armies and weapons — they compete with railways, ports, and loans. China’s Belt & Road Initiative has poured trillions into highways, pipelines, and digital infrastructure across Asia, Africa, and beyond, while the United States and its allies rely on the World Bank, IMF, and aid programs to shape development. In this episode, we explore how these two models of global investment reveal the deeper ambitions of great powers: influence, dependency, and the right to set the rules of tomorrow’s world.