The Iron Bank's Horrible Endgame?

[Rose of Red Lake]

55 minutes ago, BlackLightning said:

But the point that OP is making is that the Iron Bank's endurance could be the bitter to the bittersweet ending.

I dont see Braavos entering the slave trade. I don't think it's that kind of shady. More likely they are involved in a conspiracy to kill dragons. They certainly aren't offering to help Dany because they don't trust dragonlords. They would rather hitch their wagons to Stannis. And from what I can tell, GRRM is a capitalist who likes private enterprise. Seems like he views banking as a sign of a civilized society. Just look at how he writes about Samantha Tarly establishing the Bank of Oldtown in glowing colors.

[BlackLightning]

52 minutes ago, Rose of Red Lake said:

I don't see Braavos entering the slave trade. I don't think it's that kind of shady. More likely they are involved in a conspiracy to kill dragons. They certainly aren't offering to help Dany because they don't trust dragonlords. They would rather hitch their wagons to Stannis. And from what I can tell, GRRM is a capitalist who likes private enterprise. Seems like he views banking as a sign of a civilized society. Just look at how he writes about Samantha Tarly establishing the Bank of Oldtown in glowing colors.

Right.

I never thought so either. Braavos (and the Iron Bank which is the true ruler of the city) is in an interesting situation. Hitching their wagons to Stannis is a mistake however. Because they have yet to deliver all the things Stannis needs to guarantee his success in northern Westeros. 

But Braavos is not only a fairly egalitarian modern society but it's also a proto-democracy. The current Sealord (i.e. the Sealord who was in on Doran Martell's plot to restore Viserys with Arianne as his queen) is very old now and the younger, more capitalist generation may - according to the OP - be wanting to get their hands on some of that slaver money themselves.

Capitalism and slavery can coexist.

Regardless of Braavos' type of shadiness, after all is said and done (I believe Dany, Jon and bunch of other major players will die), the Iron Bank could very well take over the world which would leave the survivors of the story (I believe Sam, the Stark kids and others like them) in a very uncomfortable but still hopeful position moving forward.