One authoritarian regime discovered that a highly effective method to maintain control over its citizens indefinitely is by tracking and monitoring financial transactions. The simplest way to achieve this is to establish and regulate its own payment system. Through regulation, they have made it nearly impossible for non-governmental entities to create a fully interoperable payment system, with the exception of a few favored by the regime. It's no coincidence that government-owned and operated payment systems are prevalent in countries with authoritarian governments. Then, a manipulative strategy to cling to power involves instilling a sense of pride in their citizens about these restrictions by tying everything to a form of pseudo-nationalism.
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