Chief Operating Officer of Atlas.
When I am not running Atlas operations, I write and focus on the economy, capital markets, strategic foreign policy, and innovation in the defense sector.
MBA in quantitative finance.
You need to be a free member to read this article. Sign up here.
For most of 2025, China has been buying soybeans from everywhere except the United States. Cargoes that once sailed from Louisiana to Shanghai have been replaced by shipments from Santos and Rosario. When the new U.S. harvest came in this September, the silence continued. Not one new booking. The Gulf terminals stayed quiet.
It wasn’t because of price or quality. It was choreography. Beijing was sending a message through omission — showing Washington that even the most ordinary trade flow can become a pressure point.
On paper, soybeans are an agricultural sideshow. In practice, they are a perfect metaphor for the age we’ve entered. The Cold War was built on nuclear deterrence; this one is built on supply chains.
The leverage not only sits in missile silos, but also in grain silos.
Chief Operating Officer of Atlas.
When I am not running Atlas operations, I write and focus on the economy, capital markets, strategic foreign policy, and innovation in the defense sector.
MBA in quantitative finance.