This week Noah Smith joins Dan Romero and Erik Torenberg to discuss the overuse of the term “fascism,” what has led to the capabilities of China and the U.S., and much more. Moment of Zen is sponsored by Shopify: shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period. This episode is a collaboration with one of Turpentine's biggest shows, @ECON102Podcast . Check out Econ 102: www.podpage.com/econ102/ – SPONSORS: SHOPIFY | NETSUITE 💰 SHOPIFY: shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. Shopify powers 10% of all e-commerce in the US. And Shopify’s the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy’s, and Brooklinen, and 1,000,000s of other entrepreneurs across 175 countries. From their all-in-one e-commerce platform, to their in-person POS system – wherever and whatever you’re selling, Shopify’s got you covered. With free Shopify Magic, sell more with less effort by whipping up captivating content that converts – from blog posts to product descriptions using AI. Sign up for $1/month trial period: shopify.com/momentofzen 💫 NETSUITE: netsuite.com/zen NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform head to NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist. – Sign up for our newsletter to receive the full shownotes: momentofzen.substack.com/ – X / TWITTER: @eriktorenberg (Erik) @noahpinion (Noah) @dwr (Dan) @moz_podcast (Moment of Zen) @TurpentineMedia @Econ102_Podcast (Econ 102) – TIMESTAMPS (00:00) The word 'Fascist' (08:40) Economic transformation in China (13:04) SPONSOR: SHOPIFY (16:10) Impacts of Trump's policies (19:07) The renegotiation of NAFTA (23:51) United States' withdrawal from the Middle East (27:22) SPONSORS: NETSUITE (29:40) Asia & US foreign policy (40:21) The importance of focusing on Asia (46:55) U.S. production during World War II (48:49) China's production capabilities (50:01) Elon Musk & Henry Ford (52:44) Private markets for defense technology (54:13) Political unity & seriousness in war (57:32) US military budget and production (58:31) Industrial production in World War II (01:04:05) Trump's impact on China (01:07:51) Building alliances against China (01:13:23) Political unity and continuity in foreign policy