The book doesn't address this (fiat) directly, I don't remember that anyways. Indirectly, maybe. It gets into some detail on 'which industries could arise and where' but from the angle of post colonial governments straight up dictating that through different forms of economic leverage.

I've heard Bitcoiners talk about this before, how if the petroleum trade is basically cornered by the dollar, that fact alone dictates that smaller economies need to produce things the "Global North" economies want, to get dollars to make energy transactions with - and prioritize servicing those societies rather than developing their own.

I don't know where this would intersect with Alden's book because I haven't read that yet, but I definitely want to now.