Scott Reynolds Nelson – How Wheat Made The Modern World | #431
Today’s guest is Scott Reynolds Nelson, the author of Oceans of Grain: How American Wheat Remade the World, and a Professor at the University of Georgia, where he teaches about international finance and global commodities. Given current events today, our conversation with Scott about the role of wheat on the world couldn’t be more timely. Scott shares why access to wheat has caused the rise and fall of empires, social unrest like the Arab spring, and even plagues, all of which we’re seeing today. Scott walks through why he believes the Russia / Ukraine war is another example of countries going to war for access to wheat and the related trade routes.
Key Points
- Scott Reynolds Nelson's book "Oceans of Grain" explores how American wheat reshaped world power dynamics, emphasizing the critical role of food, particularly wheat, in the rise and fall of empires and geopolitical tensions.
- The cost of transporting goods within a country, measured in cents per ton-kilometer, is highly correlated with that country's GDP, highlighting the importance of efficient energy delivery and infrastructure in economic development.
- The Belt and Road Initiative by China is a significant economic strategy aimed at creating efficient trade routes and should be understood as a move towards enhancing global interconnectedness rather than a threat.
Follow Scott: X
Resources: Oceans of Grain: How American Wheat Remade the World A Nation of Deadbeats
Chapters
| 0:00 | |
| 0:20 | |
| 1:15 | |
| 2:27 | |
| 6:01 | |
| 9:24 | |
| 14:08 | |
| 17:06 | |
| 22:56 | |
| 31:18 | |
| 40:14 | |
| 46:06 |
Transcript
Loading transcript...