In this video, I break down how China is leveraging its Belt and Road Initiative, high-interest loans, and opaque lending practices to create economic dependencies across the developing world. And then I connect the dots: What does this remind me of? U.S. foreign policy in Latin America during the early 20th century.This isn’t just about debt. It’s about leverage, influence, and who gets to write the rules of the 21st century.We’ll talk about Smedley Butler, the Monroe Doctrine, and why history doesn’t repeat—but it does rhyme. And we’ll also look at what this means for access to critical materials like copper, lithium, and rare earth elements, and how the U.S. might be losing ground—literally and figuratively.