We recommend followers of Cynthia also check out the RTF film "Curse of Game Theory" which Cynthia wrote and narrated. It is a worthwhile watch and covers this subject of why zero-sum is an artificial mathematical construct used to justify acts against the welfare of people and nations around the world, to convince us that human nature is something selfish when in fact such conditions are being imposed through engineered artificial scarcity. https://cynthiachung.substack.com/p/the-curse-of-game-theory
Cynthia is a treasure of knowledge. Her history, philosophy and cultural lessons are indispensable. I have learned so much following her and Matt Ehret, her husband.
Hi Cynthia, I am so glad you were on their show! They needed a broader picture, more in depth (historical) view of why these things are happening in the world now, which of course you provided. I love the Duran, but the context you provided was absolutely necessary. Many thanks.
I very much appreciate your insightful comments on the Duran podcast today. I was not familiar with your work previously, so I'm looking forward to following your substack posts.
PS, Cynthia, I really appreciate your mentioning that pretty much everyone knows 9/11 was an inside job and false flag, or words to that effect. Alexander and Alex remained straight faced when you said it, so I hope they will look into the evidence, if they haven’t already, and concur with that conclusion.
I think the US is trying to corner the oil market. The newly announced blockade of the Straits of Hormuz, the escalating bombing of Russian oil resources and the attack on Venezuela come here together.
In the end there will be an export tax for oil products from the US, ensuring that manufacturers in the US have a30% cost advantage in energy, and the export taxes pay down the US debt.
Thank you, from a western civilization view: I am afraid you said what you did not say. Anyway, all signs are there. I feel we need to find refugee with our family and friends that are understanding, so we can join forces to, now, bring change. There is some urgency.
Cynthia, you frame this as a classic zero-sum clash — one side must lose for the other to win. But the real dynamics here are better captured by the tools that RAND Corporation theorists like John von Neumann and John Nash developed back in the 1950s for exactly this kind of nuclear-age brinkmanship. Trump’s “a whole civilization will die tonight” rhetoric is pure madman strategy — pushing to the edge to force Iran to blink on the Strait of Hormuz. From a minimax perspective, rational players don’t choose the move that exposes them to the worst possible outcome. Trump’s threat of smashing every power plant and bridge risks an Iranian retaliation on Gulf infrastructure that could spike oil prices to $130–150+ for months and trigger a global energy crisis far worse than the current partial blockade. The minimax move for both sides is actually limited pressure plus delay, not all-out destruction. At the same time, we’re hunting for a Nash equilibrium — a situation where neither side benefits from unilaterally changing strategy. The most stable short-term equilibrium looks like mutual restraint: the U.S. gets a partial reopening or credible timeline on the Strait, while Iran preserves regime survival and some leverage without triggering total infrastructural collapse. The dangerous alternative is the tragic Nash, where both escalate (U.S. strikes hard, Iran hits Saudi/Emirati facilities), locking everyone into massive mutual losses. Zero-sum thinking assumes total victory is possible. Minimax and Nash remind us that in high-stakes games involving energy chokepoints and modern economies, the “win” is often just avoiding the worst mutual disaster. The deadline tonight will test whether cool-headed game theory or raw escalation logic prevails.
Cynthia isn't framing the global situation as a zero sum clash. She specifies that the West conducts itself according to zero-sum which is fallacious, and that Asia, more specifically China is conducting itself according to win-win cooperation. She discusses how the world historically has been framed by win-win principles and that zero-sum is used to manipulate and justify America's tyrannical actions.
That was my view also. I'll guess that the title was chosen by the Duran (who are great) before the video was shot. I much appreciate her spiritual input, but I suggest she understates the evil currently manifest in the middle east.
The zero in the current "zero sum" game is the resident populations elsewhere in the middle east (and elsewhere).
I'll agree it is difficult to adjust our thinking to this reality, and I can offer some links that may add some insight.
We recommend followers of Cynthia also check out the RTF film "Curse of Game Theory" which Cynthia wrote and narrated. It is a worthwhile watch and covers this subject of why zero-sum is an artificial mathematical construct used to justify acts against the welfare of people and nations around the world, to convince us that human nature is something selfish when in fact such conditions are being imposed through engineered artificial scarcity. https://cynthiachung.substack.com/p/the-curse-of-game-theory
Cynthia is a treasure of knowledge. Her history, philosophy and cultural lessons are indispensable. I have learned so much following her and Matt Ehret, her husband.
A wonderful talk.
I’m happy to see the three of you together in a discussion.
On the Duran! Wow!
Hi Cynthia, I am so glad you were on their show! They needed a broader picture, more in depth (historical) view of why these things are happening in the world now, which of course you provided. I love the Duran, but the context you provided was absolutely necessary. Many thanks.
I very much appreciate your insightful comments on the Duran podcast today. I was not familiar with your work previously, so I'm looking forward to following your substack posts.
Just seen you on the Duran…first time hearing of you.
Thank you, Cynthia! So glad you could have this sane and refreshing conversation with Alexander and Alex whom I also follow.
Thank you.
PS, Cynthia, I really appreciate your mentioning that pretty much everyone knows 9/11 was an inside job and false flag, or words to that effect. Alexander and Alex remained straight faced when you said it, so I hope they will look into the evidence, if they haven’t already, and concur with that conclusion.
Outstanding. Thank you.
I think the US is trying to corner the oil market. The newly announced blockade of the Straits of Hormuz, the escalating bombing of Russian oil resources and the attack on Venezuela come here together.
In the end there will be an export tax for oil products from the US, ensuring that manufacturers in the US have a30% cost advantage in energy, and the export taxes pay down the US debt.
Thank you, from a western civilization view: I am afraid you said what you did not say. Anyway, all signs are there. I feel we need to find refugee with our family and friends that are understanding, so we can join forces to, now, bring change. There is some urgency.
Cynthia, you frame this as a classic zero-sum clash — one side must lose for the other to win. But the real dynamics here are better captured by the tools that RAND Corporation theorists like John von Neumann and John Nash developed back in the 1950s for exactly this kind of nuclear-age brinkmanship. Trump’s “a whole civilization will die tonight” rhetoric is pure madman strategy — pushing to the edge to force Iran to blink on the Strait of Hormuz. From a minimax perspective, rational players don’t choose the move that exposes them to the worst possible outcome. Trump’s threat of smashing every power plant and bridge risks an Iranian retaliation on Gulf infrastructure that could spike oil prices to $130–150+ for months and trigger a global energy crisis far worse than the current partial blockade. The minimax move for both sides is actually limited pressure plus delay, not all-out destruction. At the same time, we’re hunting for a Nash equilibrium — a situation where neither side benefits from unilaterally changing strategy. The most stable short-term equilibrium looks like mutual restraint: the U.S. gets a partial reopening or credible timeline on the Strait, while Iran preserves regime survival and some leverage without triggering total infrastructural collapse. The dangerous alternative is the tragic Nash, where both escalate (U.S. strikes hard, Iran hits Saudi/Emirati facilities), locking everyone into massive mutual losses. Zero-sum thinking assumes total victory is possible. Minimax and Nash remind us that in high-stakes games involving energy chokepoints and modern economies, the “win” is often just avoiding the worst mutual disaster. The deadline tonight will test whether cool-headed game theory or raw escalation logic prevails.
Attachment
https://unbekoming.substack.com/p/what-the-nash-equilibrium-teaches
Cynthia isn't framing the global situation as a zero sum clash. She specifies that the West conducts itself according to zero-sum which is fallacious, and that Asia, more specifically China is conducting itself according to win-win cooperation. She discusses how the world historically has been framed by win-win principles and that zero-sum is used to manipulate and justify America's tyrannical actions.
That was my view also. I'll guess that the title was chosen by the Duran (who are great) before the video was shot. I much appreciate her spiritual input, but I suggest she understates the evil currently manifest in the middle east.
The zero in the current "zero sum" game is the resident populations elsewhere in the middle east (and elsewhere).
I'll agree it is difficult to adjust our thinking to this reality, and I can offer some links that may add some insight.
ESC (ESCAPEKEY) blog : https://substack.com/@escapekey
and a recent (20260209) resource for Journalists on Epstein :
https://www.thewebb.io/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVpF87r23hI