1) The Big Cycle
The long arc (≈ 150–250 years) in which empires and reserve currencies rise → peak → decline → reset.
វដ្តវែង (ប្រហែល ១៥០–២៥០ ឆ្នាំ) ដែលចក្រភព និងរូបិយប័ណ្ណទុកសន្សំ កើនឡើង → កំពូល → ធ្លាក់ចុះ → ដាក់ស្តារ។
Cycle Stages (signals)
Three Big Cycles
- Money/Credit/Debt & Economic Cycle
- Internal Order vs Disorder
- External Order (Geopolitics) vs Disorder
Q: Why do Big Cycles repeat? (short incentives + long memory)(ចំណូលចិត្តខ្លី + ការចងចាំវែង)
Human nature and incentives: success breeds excess; excess breeds fragility; crises reset the system; new leaders restart the cycle.
ដោយសារភាពជាមនុស្ស និងលទ្ធផលល្បាក់ល្បាស៖ ជោគជ័យបង្កើតភាពលើសកំណត់ → ខ្សោយខាត → វិបត្តិដាក់ស្តារ → មេដឹកនាំថ្មីចាប់ផ្តើមវដ្តថ្មី។
2) Rise & Decline — What Drives Each Phase?
Q: What makes a country rise?
- Strong leadership & rule of law
- Education → innovation → productivity
- Global competitiveness & trade surpluses
- Efficient capital allocation & deep markets
- មេដឹកនាំល្អ និងច្បាប់រឹងមាំ
- អប់រំ → នាវត្តកម្ម → ផលិតភាព
- ការប្រកួតប្រជែងលើសកម្រិត និងអតិរេកទំនិញនាំចេញ
- ចែកចាយទុនមានប្រសិទ្ធភាព និងទីផ្សារហិរញ្ញវត្ថុជ្រៅ
Q: What pushes a country into decline?
- Large debts & money printing
- Widening wealth/opportunity gaps
- Polarization → internal conflict
- Loss of competitiveness & overextension abroad
- បំណុលធំ និងបោះបង់រូបិយប័ណ្ណ
- គម្លាតចំណូល/ឱកាសពង្រីក
- បែកបាក់នយោបាយ → ជម្លោះក្នុង
- បាត់បង់សមត្ថភាពប្រកួតប្រជែង និងពង្រីកខ្លួនខាងក្រៅលើសកម្រិត
3) Money, Credit, Debt & the Value of Money
Evolution of Money
- Hard money (gold/silver): credible, low credit
- Claims on hard money: more credit, some risk
- Fiat money: max credit, credibility risk → inflation/devaluation
Late‑Cycle Warning Lights
Q: Practical takeaway for savers & investors?
Expect lower real returns from cash/bonds when debts are high and real rates are low; diversify into assets resilient to inflation (e.g., equities with pricing power, real assets, some gold).
ពេលបំណុលខ្ពស់ និងអាត្រាការប្រាក់ពិតទាប សូមរំពឹងទុកថាចំណូលពិតពីសាច់ប្រាក់/ប័ណ្ណបំណុលទាប។ ចែកចាយទ្រព្យសក្តិសមនឹងអតិផរណា (ភាគហ៊ុនមានអំណាចកំណត់តម្លៃ អចលនទ្រព្យ មាសខ្លះៗ)។
4) Internal & External Order Cycles
Q: Internal cycle — what should we monitor?
- Wealth/opportunity gaps
- Rule of law vs political capture
- Social cohesion vs polarization
- Leadership quality and legitimacy
- គម្លាតទ្រព្យសម្បត្តិ/ឱកាស
- ច្បាប់ប្រកបដោយយុត្តិធម៌ ទល់មុខនឹងការកាន់កាប់នយោបាយ
- សាមគ្គីភាពសង្គម ទល់នឹងការបំបែក
- គុណភាព និងសុពលភាពនៃអ្នកដឹកនាំ
Q: External cycle — what flips peace into conflict?
When a rising power challenges an existing hegemon across economics, technology, and military, mismanaged tensions can escalate into sanctions, cold wars, or hot wars.
ពេលអំណាចកើនឡើងប្រកួតនឹងមហាអំណាចចាស់ លើសេដ្ឋកិច្ច បច្ចេកវិទ្យា និងយោធា បើគ្មានការគ្រប់គ្រងល្អ ការតានតឹងអាចឡើងទៅទណ្ឌកម្ម សង្គ្រាមត្រជាក់ ឬសង្គ្រាមពិត។
5) Empires Timeline — Dutch → British → American → (Rising) China
Dutch (1600s)
- Invention of modern capitalism & stock exchange
- Trade/finance dominance → debt + wars → decline
British (1700s–1900s)
- Industrial Revolution • Global reserve currency
- Overextension • Two world wars • Devaluations
American (1900s–today)
- Post‑WWII leader • USD reserve status
- Late‑cycle signals: high debt, polarization
China (Rising)
- Fast gains in trade, innovation, infrastructure
- Reserve currency status still small but growing
Q: What’s common across these arcs?
Education → innovation → trade → wealth → finance → debt → inequality → conflict → reset → new order.
អប់រំ → នាវត្តកម្ម → ពាណិជ្ជកម្ម → សម្បត្តិ → ហិរញ្ញវត្ថុ → បំណុល → គម្លាត → ជម្លោះ → ដាក់ស្តារ → លំដាប់ថ្មី។
6) US vs China — Gauges at a Glance
Empire Score (0–1)
Relative Strengths
- US: Education, innovation, finance, military, reserve currency
- China: Trade, infrastructure/investment, competitiveness
- សហរដ្ឋអាមេរិក: អប់រំ នាវត្តកម្ម ហិរញ្ញវត្ថុ យោធា រូបិយប័ណ្ណទុកសន្សំ
- ចិន: ពាណិជ្ជកម្ម ហេដារចំណូលធុនធំ និងការវិនិយោគ សមត្ថភាពប្រកួតប្រជែង
Key Late‑Cycle Risks
7) Investing Lessons from the Big Cycle
Q: How to position across regimes?
- Diversify by country, currency, and asset class
- Inflation‑resilient assets when debts high/real yields low
- Beware capital controls & wealth taxes/confiscation in crises
- Use risk‑balanced portfolios (growth vs inflation regimes)
- ចែកចាយតាមប្រទេស រូបិយប័ណ្ណ និងប្រភេទទ្រព្យសកម្ម
- ពេលបំណុលខ្ពស់/អត្រាពិតទាប ដាក់ប្រាក់លើទ្រព្យធន់អតិផរណា
- ប្រុងប្រយ័ត្ន ការដាក់ទណ្ឌកម្មលើទុន និង ពន្ធទ្រព្យសម្បត្តិពេលមានវិបត្តិ
- ប្រើផែនការ ទម្ងន់ហានិភ័យសមធម៌ (បរិយាកាសកំណើន/អតិផរណា)
Q: What typically protects during 60/40 drawdowns?
Historically, gold and some inflation‑linked exposures helped during deep equity/bond drawdowns; but nothing is perfect — sizing and diversification matter.
ប្រវត្តិសាស្ត្របង្ហាញថា មាស និងទ្រព្យសកម្ម ភ្ជាប់អតិផរណា ជួយការពារពេល 60/40 ធ្លាក់ខ្លាំង ប៉ុន្តែគ្មានអ្វីល្អឥតខ្ចោះ — ទំហំវិនិយោគ និងការចែកចាយសំខាន់។
8) The Future — What to Watch
Macro Gauges
- Debt dynamics & real yields
- Internal cohesion vs polarization
- US–China technology/trade frictions
- Reserve‑currency flows & alternatives
Resilience Checklist
- Diversified income streams
- Liquidity buffer (multi‑currency)
- Scenario planning (stagflation, disinflation, conflict)
- Operational flexibility (capital mobility, custody)
Glossary (Quick Meanings)
- Reserve Currency: Money widely used for global trade/debt (e.g., USD).
- Real Yield: Nominal yield minus inflation.
- Capital Controls: Government limits on moving money across borders.
- រូបិយប័ណ្ណទុកសន្សំ: ប្រាក់ដែលប្រើទូទាំងពិភពលោកសម្រាប់ពាណិជ្ជកម្ម/បំណុល (ឧ. USD)
- អាត្រាការប្រាក់ពិត: អាត្រានៅលើក្រដាស ដកអតិផរណា
- ការគ្រប់គ្រងទុន: ការកំណត់ចេញ/ចូលទុនដោយរដ្ឋាភិបាល
The principle of Ray Dalio’s book “Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order” is that history follows repeating cycles — especially the Big Cycle of the rise and decline of nations and empires — driven by predictable patterns in economics, debt, power, and human behavior.
Here’s the essence from your uploaded file:
🧭 Core Principle
“The same things happen again and again for basically the
same reasons.”
— Ray Dalio
Dalio studies 500 years of history and identifies The Big
Cycle, which every empire goes through — from rise, to peak, to decline.
⚙️ The Big Cycle (Three Phases)
- The
Rise
- Strong
leadership and unity
- Investment
in education and innovation
- Increasing
productivity, trade, and wealth
- Sound
finances and competitiveness
- Growing
global influence and reserve currency
- The
Top
- High
prosperity, but also excesses
- Wealth
gaps widen
- Debt
accumulates
- Society
becomes less productive and more divided
- The
Decline
- Overextension
and internal conflict
- Money
printing and inflation
- Loss
of competitiveness
- Civil
unrest or revolution
- External
wars and the fall of reserve currency
- The
old order collapses — a new world order begins
🌍 Three Big Cycles
Driving the World Order
- Debt
& Money Cycle – how borrowing and printing money affect power
- Internal
Order & Disorder Cycle – how inequality and conflict rise
- External
Order & Disorder Cycle – how wars and shifting alliances occur
When these three align (as they are now), major world
transitions happen — e.g., Dutch → British → American → (now possibly) Chinese
power shift.
🔑 Determinants of a
Nation’s Power
Dalio measures 18 key indicators, including:
- Education
- Innovation
& technology
- Competitiveness
- Military
strength
- Trade
& economic output
- Financial
center strength
- Reserve
currency status
- Governance
and civility
- Wealth
gaps and internal unity
Nations rise when these are strong and coordinated — and
fall when they weaken.
💬 Modern Implication
Dalio warns that the U.S. is in a late-stage decline,
with:
- High
debt & money printing
- Internal
polarization
- Loss
of competitiveness
- Challenges
from China’s rise
He advises learning from history to manage transitions peacefully
and strategically, rather than repeating the same destructive patterns.
Would you like me to create a simple diagram or summary
chart showing this Big Cycle (Rise → Peak → Decline) for your blog
post?