International Man: Palentir's Peter Thiel recently moved his family to Argentina, bought a $12M house in Buenos Aires, and some farmland in Uruguay. Thiel also has New Zealand citizenship and reportedly has a Maltese passport. So this isn't his first attempt at international diversification.

What do you think he's positioning for?

Doug Casey: It's obvious he sees that the US is in trouble. In 2024, it came within a hair's breadth of electing a low-IQ communist for President, and NYC actually did elect one for Mayor. He sees that the greatest risk to his freedom and wealth is political, so he's diversifying politically.

I've never met him, but we appear to have similar tastes in offshore locations. I lived in New Zealand for years. His house in BA (I'm shocked he was able to find one that expensive) isn't far from my place. Nor is his place near Punta far from mine.

He appears to be well-positioned in three of the most desirable places in the Southern Hemisphere, relatively isolated from World War 3.

I don't doubt he keeps a well-stocked pantry. Perhaps I'll pop over and borrow a cup of sugar or a garden tool someday, as neighbors often do…

International Man: With JD Vance as Vice President of the US, Thiel's network is closer to Washington, D.C. power than ever before. What do you think he is hedging against?

Doug Casey: Having friends in high places is a time-tested way of protecting yourself from enemies.

That's why the rich give lots of money to both parties in the US, to have a "roof" no matter which side is in office. But Thiel is a sound enough libertarian that I doubt he'd consider giving succor to the bad guys. He seems interested in using some of his wealth, estimated to be around $25 billion, to try to change things for the better. Vance seems like a decent enough person, looking uncomfortable when he has to promote or defend Trump's goofier policies.