Bitcoin Won’t Stop Wars Until We End the Real Problem: The Usury System

The short answer: Bitcoin won’t end wars on its own. Wars are financed by the usury-based, debt-money system, and that system is now capturing Bitcoin itself through Wall Street vehicles like spot ETFs and concentrated mining. The technology is necessary but not sufficient: without ending interest-based money creation, institutions simply absorb Bitcoin into the machine it was meant to escape. Real change requires reforming the monetary model, not just swapping in a new asset.

Why Bitcoin alone can’t fix what’s fundamentally broken about money

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Picture this: You’re excited about Bitcoin because someone told you it will “end wars” and “free humanity from financial oppression.” You buy some Bitcoin, watch the price soar, and feel like you’re part of a revolution. But then you notice something troubling, the same Wall Street giants who’ve been profiting from wars for decades are now the biggest Bitcoin holders.

What went wrong? The answer reveals a harsh truth that many Bitcoin enthusiasts don’t want to face: Bitcoin alone cannot stop wars because it’s being absorbed into the very system it was meant to replace.

The Mirage: How Bitcoin Was Supposed to Change Everything

When Bitcoin was created in 2009, its anonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto had a clear vision: create a decentralized, peer-to-peer currency that couldn’t be controlled by governments or banks. The idea was simple but revolutionary, if you remove the ability to print money out of thin air, you remove the ability to fund endless wars.

Think about it: How do governments pay for trillion dollar wars? They don’t collect trillions in taxes from citizens (that would cause immediate revolt). Instead, they print new money or borrow it into existence, diluting the value of existing currency. This hidden tax through inflation lets them wage wars while most people barely notice the cost until it’s too late.

The Original Bitcoin Vision

Bitcoin’s fixed supply of 21 million coins was supposed to end this monetary manipulation. The key principles were:

• Fixed supply: No central authority can create more Bitcoin
• Decentralized network: No single point of control or failure
• Peer-to-peer transactions: Direct transfers without intermediaries
• Transparent ledger: All transactions publicly verifiable
• Censorship resistance: No authority can block legitimate transactions

Case closed, right? Wrong.

The Harsh Reality: Wall Street’s Bitcoin Takeover

Here’s what’s actually happening, and the numbers are staggering:

BlackRock’s Bitcoin Empire

BlackRock’s IBIT (iShares Bitcoin Trust) has become a financial juggernaut, holding over 700,439 BTC worth approximately $81 billion as of 13 July 2025. To put this in perspective, imagine if the biggest weapons manufacturer in the world suddenly became the largest holder of “peace coins.” That’s essentially what’s happening.

BlackRock manages over $10 trillion globally and has deep ties to the military-industrial complex. They now control roughly 3% of all Bitcoin that will ever exist. Their Bitcoin ETF generates more revenue than their signature S&P 500 fund Bitcoin has literally become more profitable for them than tracking the entire stock market.

The Corporate Feeding Frenzy

Professional investors with over $100 million under management now hold $27.4 billion worth of Bitcoin ETFs, a 114% increase from the previous quarter’s $12.4 billion. This isn’t retail investors buying Bitcoin to escape the system it’s the system buying Bitcoin to control it.

Consider MicroStrategy (now called Strategy), the poster child for corporate Bitcoin adoption. They hold over 597,325 BTC worth $70+ billion. But here’s the kicker: they didn’t buy this Bitcoin with cash saved from profits. They issued bonds, took loans, and diluted their stock to buy Bitcoin.

In other words, they used the exact same debt-based financing that fuels our current broken system.

The Mining Monopoly

Bitcoin mining, the process that secures the network and creates new coins is also being centralized. BlackRock holds major stakes in top mining companies like Marathon Digital, which operates over 250,000 miners with a hash rate of 31.5 EH/s.

When you control the mining, you influence:

• Which transactions get processed first
• How the network evolves through upgrades
• The geographic distribution of mining power
• The energy sources used for mining

It’s like having the fox guard the henhouse, except the fox is telling everyone it’s protecting them from other foxes.

The Root Problem: It’s the Usury, Stupid

Most people don’t understand what “usury” means in 2025, but it’s the key to understanding why Bitcoin alone can’t fix our problems.

What Is Usury, Really?

Usury isn’t just “high interest rates”, it’s the entire concept of making money from money itself, rather than from productive work. This is the same idea Islam names riba, which I break down in what riba is and why Islam bans interest. Here’s the difference:

Traditional (Non-Usury) System:

• You need $1,000 to buy equipment for your business
• I lend you $1,000 and become a partner in your venture
• If your business succeeds, we both profit proportionally
• If it fails, we both share the loss

Modern Usury System:

• You need $1,000 to buy equipment for your business
• I lend you $1,000 and demand $1,100 back regardless of outcome
• If your business succeeds, I get my fixed return while you keep the rest
• If it fails, I still demand my $1,100 and can seize your assets

The second system seems “fair” until you realize it mathematically concentrates wealth over time. The lender takes no real risk but demands guaranteed profit, while the borrower takes all the risk but gives up a fixed portion of any success.

How Usury Fuels Wars: A Historical Perspective

The Western financial system based on bank-issued debt as the dominant means of introducing money into circulation was created by medieval money changers in Europe. Over time, this method was used to lend to governments for fighting the never ending European wars.

This system works like a ratchet it only moves in one direction. Here’s how:

• Governments borrow money to fight wars, accumulating debt that requires interest payments
• To pay the interest, they need economic growth or more borrowing
• When peaceful growth isn’t enough, war becomes economically attractive because it:
• Justifies massive government spending (GDP growth through destruction)
• Creates demand for loans (both for aggressor and defender)
• Eliminates competitors (other nations, currencies, systems)
• Consolidates power (emergency powers, surveillance, control)

Real-World Example: The 2008 Financial Crisis

Remember 2008? Here’s what really happened:

• Banks made risky loans they knew borrowers couldn’t repay
• They packaged these loans as “safe” investments and sold them worldwide
• When it all collapsed, who got bailed out? The same banks that created the problem
• How were they bailed out? With newly printed money that diluted everyone else’s savings

The total bailout was estimated at $16.8 trillion when you include all the hidden Federal Reserve lending programs. That’s more than the entire GDP of the United States at the time. This money didn’t come from taxes it was created from nothing, backed by the promise that taxpayers would eventually pay it back with interest.

The banks that caused the crisis not only survived but became more powerful. Meanwhile, millions of ordinary people lost their homes, jobs, and savings.

Now, these same institutions are buying Bitcoin. Do you really think they’re planning to abandon the system that made them rich?

Why Bitcoin Isn’t the Magic Bullet

Don’t get me wrong, Bitcoin is an incredible technology. Its fixed supply, decentralized verification, and resistance to censorship make it superior to fiat currencies. But technology alone doesn’t change human behavior or power structures.

The Institutional Capture Playbook

Here’s exactly how the financial elite are co-opting Bitcoin:

Phase 1: Accumulation

• Buy massive amounts through ETFs and corporate treasuries
• Use existing wealth to outbid retail investors
• Create artificial scarcity for regular people

Phase 2: Infrastructure Control

• Invest in mining operations and mining equipment manufacturers
• Influence Bitcoin development through funding and political pressure
• Control the narrative through media ownership and regulatory capture

Phase 3: Financialization

• Create Bitcoin backed financial products (loans, derivatives, structured notes)
• Reintroduce leverage, interest, and speculation into the Bitcoin ecosystem
• Transform Bitcoin from a currency into just another asset class

Phase 4: Regulatory Capture

• Lobby for favorable regulations that entrench institutional advantages
• Create compliance costs that favor large players over small ones
• Establish Bitcoin as “digital gold” rather than peer-to-peer currency

The result? Bitcoin becomes just another tool within the existing financial system, not a replacement for it.

The Inequality Trap

Here’s the math that Bitcoin enthusiasts don’t want to face:

• Total Bitcoin supply: 21 million coins
• Already mined: ~20 million coins
• Remaining to be mined: ~1 million coins
• Current price: $119,000+ per coin
• Median household income: ~$50,000/year

If you make $50,000 a year, how much Bitcoin can you realistically buy? Maybe 0.1 BTC if you’re lucky and disciplined. Meanwhile, BlackRock can deploy billions instantly to buy thousands of Bitcoin.

The mathematical outcome is inevitable the same people who control traditional finance will control Bitcoin, only now with even greater concentration because Bitcoin’s supply is truly fixed.

The Real Solution: Ending the Usury System

If we want Bitcoin to fulfill its original promise, we need to address the root cause: the interest-based, debt driven financial system that makes war profitable.

What Would a Post-Usury World Look Like?

1. Profit-Sharing Instead of Interest

• Lenders become partners, sharing both risks and rewards
• No guaranteed returns divorced from actual productivity
• Investment flows to genuinely productive activities

This is what real risk sharing, not risk dumping, looks like in practice.

2. Asset-Backed Money

• Currency backed by real things (gold, silver, Bitcoin, commodities)
• No money creation through debt
• Transparent relationship between money supply and real wealth

3. Productive Investment

• Money flows to activities that create real value
• No profit from financial engineering or speculation
• Rewards aligned with actual contribution to society

4. Transparent Pricing

• True cost of money is clear and visible
• No hidden fees or complex financial instruments
• Direct relationship between savers and borrowers

Historical Precedent: It’s Not Fantasy

This isn’t utopian thinking, it’s how commerce worked for thousands of years:

Islamic Banking System:

• Still operates on profit sharing principles today
• Sharia-compliant banks partner with borrowers rather than charge interest
• Risk and reward are shared, not extracted

Medieval Guilds:

• Craftsmen pooled resources for mutual benefit
• Profits shared based on contribution and participation
• No passive income from money lending

Early American Banking:

• Banks were partnerships that shared risks with depositors
• Local banks knew their borrowers personally
• Banking panics were rare because interests were aligned

Even today, many successful businesses operate as partnerships where everyone shares in success or failure. The key insight is that making money from money itself creates the boom bust cycles, wealth concentration, and economic pressures that lead to war.

Real-World Example: The Grameen Bank

Muhammad Yunus won the Nobel Peace Prize for creating the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, which makes small loans to poor women without requiring collateral. The key differences:

• No interest: Loans are repaid with a small service fee
• Group responsibility: Borrowers support each other
• Productive focus: Money used for income-generating activities
• Flexible repayment: Based on borrower’s ability, not rigid schedules

The result? Over 99% repayment rates and genuine economic development. No one gets rich from extracting interest, but everyone benefits from increased productivity and prosperity.

What You Can Do: Practical Steps for Change

Understanding the problem is the first step. Here’s how you can be part of the solution:

1. Educate Yourself and Others

Most people don’t understand how money works. Start here:

• Learn monetary history: Read “The Creature from Jekyll Island” or “What Has Government Done to Our Money?”
• Understand Bitcoin basics: Not just price action, but the technology and philosophy
• Share knowledge: Explain to friends why Bitcoin isn’t magic, it’s a tool
• Question everything: Don’t accept “that’s just how the system works”

2. Support Ethical Bitcoin Adoption

Do This:

• Buy Bitcoin directly from exchanges, not Wall Street ETFs
• Use Bitcoin for actual transactions, not just speculation
• Support businesses that accept Bitcoin payments
• Run a Bitcoin node to support decentralization
• Advocate for Bitcoin education in schools

Don’t Do This:

• Buy Bitcoin ETFs (you’re funding institutional capture)
• Take Bitcoin backed loans (recreating the usury system)
• Speculate with borrowed money (perpetuating debt cycles)
• Support centralized Bitcoin services unnecessarily

3. Reject Usury-Based Bitcoin Products

As Bitcoin-backed loans and interest bearing accounts become available, resist the temptation. These products recreate the same extractive relationships that Bitcoin was meant to eliminate.

Red Flags to Avoid:

• “Earn 6% APY on your Bitcoin” (who’s paying that interest?)
• Bitcoin collateralized loans (recreating fractional reserve banking)
• Leverage trading platforms (pure speculation, not investment)
• Complex Bitcoin derivatives (financial engineering, not value creation)

4. Vote for Monetary Reform

Support politicians who understand monetary policy and advocate for sound money principles:

• Audit the Federal Reserve: Transparency in monetary policy
• Return to asset-backed currency: End pure fiat money
• Limit government borrowing: Constitutional spending limits
• Regulate usury practices: Cap interest rates and fees
• Support local banking: Community-owned financial institutions

5. Build Alternative Systems

Personal Level:

• Start or join local communities that practice mutual aid
• Use Bitcoin for peer-to-peer transactions
• Create businesses that operate on ethical principles
• Practice profit sharing rather than interest-taking

Community Level:

• Support local currencies and barter systems
• Organize investment clubs based on partnership principles
• Create mutual aid networks for emergencies
• Advocate for public banking at the municipal level

Global Level:

• Support international monetary reform efforts
• Advocate for Bitcoin adoption in developing countries
• Fund education about sound money principles
• Build technology that supports decentralized finance

The Bottom Line: Technology Isn’t Enough

Bitcoin maximalists who claim it will automatically end wars are either naive or dishonest. Technology doesn’t change human nature it amplifies it. If greedy, power hungry people control Bitcoin, they’ll use it for the same purposes they’ve always used money: to maintain and expand their power.

The real revolution isn’t Bitcoin, it’s the recognition that our entire economic system is built on a foundation that makes conflict inevitable. The usury based, debt driven financial system mathematically concentrates wealth and power, creating the conditions that lead to war.

The Path Forward

Bitcoin can be part of the solution, but only if we:

• Prevent its capture by traditional financial institutions
• Use it as intended: as a peer-to-peer currency, not a speculative asset
• Simultaneously work to eliminate usury from our economic system
• Educate people about how money actually works
• Build alternative systems that reward productive work, not financial extraction

The Choice Is Ours

We can let Bitcoin become just another tool for the existing power structure, or we can use it as part of a broader movement toward a more just and peaceful world.

But make no mistake: Bitcoin alone won’t stop wars. Only ending the usury system will.

The institutions that have profited from war for centuries are now Bitcoin’s largest holders. They didn’t suddenly become peaceful they’re adapting their extraction methods to new technology. If we want different results, we need to change the fundamental rules of the game.

The question isn’t whether Bitcoin will end wars. The question is whether we’ll end the usury system that makes wars profitable in the first place.

🚀 Ready to Join the Real Revolution?

This isn’t about getting rich quick, it’s about building a better world. Start by understanding the problem, then take action in your own life and community.

• Share this article with someone who needs to read it
• Buy Bitcoin directly and use it as currency
• Learn about interest-free banking alternatives
• Support businesses that operate on ethical principles
• Vote for representatives who understand monetary policy

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What do you think? Are you ready to look beyond Bitcoin to the deeper problems with our financial system? Share your thoughts and help spread this message. The revolution isn’t won with better technology, it’s won with better understanding.

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