Dr Richard Werner is not an unknown commentator operating on the fringe of economic debate. He is an Oxford and LSE-educated economist, professor of banking and finance, advisor to governments and financial institutions, and internationally recognized for his work on banking systems and monetary policy. He is also credited with coining the term Quantitative Easing in 1995.
By elocal International Desk
Source: Tucker Carlson interview with economist Dr Richard Werner, The Tucker Carlson Show, 23 May 2026
In a wide-ranging discussion with Tucker Carlson, Werner moved far beyond interest rates and central banking. His argument was larger: that history repeatedly shows major wars emerging not simply from spontaneous events or ideological disputes, but from economic rivalry, strategic infrastructure and powerful interests competing for control.
His central warning was direct:
"Ordinary people don't want war in any country. Most ordinary people are good people."
Werner argues that the danger lies elsewhere.
"There are people out there who really are doing everything to get there."
Chapter 1: Propaganda, False Flags and Manufacturing Public Support
Werner began with one of history's most controversial wartime events, the sinking of the Lusitania during the First World War.
He argued that public understanding of major events is often shaped by narratives that become accepted long before later evidence and historical analysis emerge.
According to Werner:
"Studying history is important because we need to know the facts of what happened in the past to understand the present and make some predictions about the future."
Werner outlined his interpretation that governments and media can shape public sentiment during wartime and argued that dramatic events can become catalysts for wider geopolitical action.
His broader point was less about one historical event and more about a recurring pattern:
"A false flag is likely to be the beginning of this."
Chapter 2: The Return of Total War
The discussion then moved from history into the present day.
Werner argued that the First World War represented a turning point because it transformed warfare from military conflict into full societal mobilization.
He described the emergence of what he called "total war", where entire populations become integrated into wartime structures.
"It was really the beginning of this modern era where you have totalitarian control unleashed under the cover of a great war."
Werner pointed toward modern rearmament efforts and military preparation across Europe as developments that should be watched carefully.
Chapter 3: Economic Rivalries Behind World War I
Werner then shifted to what became one of the interview's dominant themes: economics.
His argument was that the First World War was not simply about nationalism or isolated political disputes.
Instead, he argued that it involved a struggle between an established global power and an emerging economic rival.
He described Imperial Germany as a rapidly developing economic force with expanding industry, scientific research, infrastructure and banking systems.
"It was a high-growth economy and people benefited. Prosperity, the middle class, it was quite impressive."
According to Werner, strategic projects such as the proposed Berlin-Baghdad-Basra railway represented far more than transport systems.
He argued they represented economic independence.
Chapter 4: Is China the New Germany?
Werner then drew his largest historical comparison.
He suggested modern China occupies a position similar to Germany before the First World War.
"Which country is the new Germany that is a rival to America? Well, it's China."
He argued that China's Belt and Road Initiative mirrors earlier attempts to secure trade routes and reduce dependency on vulnerable maritime chokepoints.
In Werner's view, infrastructure itself has become a geopolitical battlefield.
Railways, ports, shipping routes and energy corridors are no longer merely economic projects. They are strategic assets.
Chapter 5: Iran and the Strategic Chessboard
Werner also linked current tensions involving Iran to wider strategic competition involving China.
He argued Iran occupies an important role in China's energy and infrastructure networks.
"We can tell that the war on Iran is part of this countermeasure that's really in operation against China."
He pointed to Belt and Road infrastructure and energy supply routes as major factors influencing modern geopolitical tensions.
Chapter 6: A Battle Over Financial Systems
The interview moved beyond military rivalry into global finance.
Werner criticized international financial institutions and argued that emerging systems such as BRICS and Belt and Road offer alternatives to traditional financial structures.
He described economic systems not simply as tools of trade, but as mechanisms that can shape national sovereignty and development paths.
Summary
Richard Werner's interview was not a narrow discussion about central banks or monetary policy.
It was a much broader argument about power.
His central thesis was that beneath headlines and public narratives, deeper structures often shape world events: banking systems, trade routes, resource access and strategic control over infrastructure.
Whether readers agree with every conclusion or not, Werner's message was clear:
"We need to know the facts of what happened in the past to understand the present."
And if history does move in cycles, Werner suggests understanding those patterns may matter more than ever.
Video Chapters
0:00 The Effect of Propaganda in Wartime
11:52 The Return of Total War
21:50 Rivalry, Concentration Camps, and the First World War
39:55 Is China the New Germany?
51:18 The Bombing Campaigns Against Iran
53:28 Is There Danger of Japan and China Collaborating?
57:34 Why a Proper War Requires a Built-Up Enemy
1:00:47 Engineering Famine
1:07:51 China's One-Child Policy and Anti-Population Growth
1:18:17 The Great Deception
1:28:53 What Would a One-World Government Look Like?
1:37:49 The Man Who Helped Bring Hitler to Power
1:43:08 The Rothschilds and the Birth of Modern Economics
1:48:10 Where Does the Real Power Lie?
1:51:02 Are We Moving Closer to Centralization?
1:56:36 What Happens to US Assets as the Global System Changes?