We are taught to believe that the economy is a tangible ecosystem living on the high street, in the factories, and within the goods we produce and consume. We operate under the comforting, albeit weak, assumption that the towering technological behemoths of our era are simply the latest iteration of capitalist innovation, building wealth by creating products that enhance our lives. But when you peel back the veneer of global commerce and trace the invisible wires of power, this narrative shatters.

In Washington D.C., Brussels, and other global power centers, a quiet revolution happens daily. Not in the halls of Congress or Parliament, but in the coordinated dance between carpeted think tank conference rooms and gleaming media studios. Institutions with names like "The Atlantic Council" produce research that CNN anchors cite as independent expertise, while "The Heritage Foundation" provides talking points that Fox News presents as objective analysis. This isn't coincidence—it's a sophisticated system of reality construction.