International Relations Episodes
Foreign policy
Sept. 5, 2023
Sweden, Turkey and NATO: Where do we stand ? Talking with Paul Levin, Professor at Stockholm University.
Sweden’s application to join NATO continues to be blocked by Turkey, jeopardizing security in the Baltic Region. What’s next ?
Aug. 23, 2023
Reducing Russia's Nuclear Threat in the Baltic Region. Talking with Dr. Marion Messmer of Chatham House.
Putin from the start of the Ukraine invasion in 2022 has issued veiled threats of using nuclear weapons. Why now and why Ukraine ? Russia isn’t at existential risk so why threaten to use nukes ?
July 6, 2023
DeRisking China: Is America's 50 year love affair with investing in China over ? Talking with Jeremy Mark, Senior Non Resident Fellow at the Atlantic Council.
Are America and its Allies stepping back from their deep economic ties with China ?
June 28, 2023
Prime Minister Modi's trip to Washington: A game changer or business as usual ? Talking to Seema Sirohi columnist for The Economic Times, India's leading business daily.
US and India’s relationship has waxed and waned over the last 76 years. However, PM Modi’s visit was described as a Hinge in Geopolitics by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. Was it ?
June 7, 2023
Finntopia: What we can learn from the World's happiest country ? Talking with author, Professor Danny Dorling.
Finland has ranked #1 in the World's Happiest Country listing for the sixth year in a row. How did this small Nordic country of 5 million, which 100 years ago was the poorest country in Europe and bullied by Russia for much o...
June 2, 2023
Pakistan: Origins, Identity and Future. In conversation with Professor Pervez Hoodbhoy
A sweeping review of history, culture and politics of the Muslim people on the Indian Subcontinent.
May 10, 2023
Everyday War: talking with author Greta Uehling.
An intervention how we think about war. War from the civilian perspective. Conscious ways non combatants participate in war.
April 11, 2023
The Black Sea Strategic Triangle: Talking with Rich Outzen of the Atlantic Council.
Turkey’s dominance of the Black Sea during the Ukraine War while maintaining commercial and diplomatic ties with Russia has been a tight rope walk.
Jan. 11, 2023
Global Discord: Values and Power in a Fractured World Order. Talking with author Paul Tucker.
China, an authoritarian state, is challenging the US dollar as the global reserve currency.
Dec. 19, 2022
Deep State: An overview of the current state of espionage during the age of Great Power Competition. Talking with Alp Sevimlisoy, geopolitical strategist and national security expert.
Failings of Russian Spycraft in Ukraine, the West’s sharing of intel with Ukraine and China’s moves in its global espionage reach.
Nov. 1, 2022
Saudi Arabia: No longer our reliable ally ? Talking with Professor Nicholas Grossman of the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana.
Saudi Arabia decreased daily oil production despite Biden’s request to increase. The Saudi move favors Russia. Why did they do it ?
Oct. 19, 2022
Citizen Diplomat: Talking with Bill Boerum, former Chairman of Sister Cities International.
American soft power through citizen diplomacy.
Oct. 6, 2022
Atlanticism versus Eurasianism : talking with Alp Sevimlisoy, the foremost Atlanticist in the Turkish Republic.
Atlanticism enshrines Western values of liberal democracy and personal freedom whereas Eurasianism represents authoritarian rule and limited liberty.
Sept. 12, 2022
The UK has a new monarch and prime minister. Talking with Georgina Wright of the Institut Montaigne, Paris.
Profile of new PM Luz Truss and her cabinet and King Charles III.
Sept. 1, 2022
Turkey and Ukraine: Walking a tightrope between NATO and Russia. Talking with Rich Outzen, geopolitical consultant and nonresident fellow of the Atlantic Council.
Turkey is arming its neighbor Ukraine and at the same time, trying to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. How do they pull it off ?
Aug. 28, 2022
Kim Jong Un: North Korea's savvy but brutal dictator.
North Korea 🇰🇵 is a hereditary, dynasty of the Kim family. The nation’s nuclear weapons and ICBMs ensure the regime’s survival.
Aug. 26, 2022
China's push into the South Pacific: A New Zealand Perspective. Talking with Senior Lecturer at Victoria University, Iati Iati.
China recently signed a security pact with the strategic Solomon Islands. Australia and New Zealand fear that China could gain a military presence in their neighborhood.
Aug. 21, 2022
Russian Speakers in NATO Countries : A Red Line for Putin ?
Will Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania be prey to Putin’s expansionist policies on the pretext of protecting their Russian speaking minorities ?
June 21, 2022
Prisoners of Geography : 10 maps that explain everything about the world. By Tim Marshall. A Review by Jim Herlihy
A country’s physical geography still largely determines its global power and either advantages or disadvantages the geopolitical decisions of its leader.
May 21, 2022
Putin scores own goal: Sweden and Finland to join NATO. The Law of Unintended Consequences. In conversation with Pierre Morcos, Visiting Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Sweden and Finland to join NATO: the law of unintended consequences of Putin’s war against Ukraine.
April 28, 2022
Russian Sanctions - 2 months in - Are they working ? Talking with Economics writer Phillip Inman of The Guardian and Observer newspapers.
Are Russian sanctions starting to bite ? Or will China, India and Israel provide a back door to bust the sanctions, as Russia has done for Cuba and Iran for instance ?
April 12, 2022
Women Peace Builders: Women, Peace and Security. Talking with Sanam Naraghi Anderlini, M.B.E.
UN Security Council Resolution 1325 assures women a role in peace negotiations. Adopted unanimously by the 15 members of the SC on October 31, 2001, it is reviewed annually at the UN to track progress.
March 28, 2022
Origins of Russia's shifting political regime. In conversation with Professor Tomila Lankina of the London School of Economics.
The Estate Origins of Democracy in Russia: From Imperial bourgeoisie to Post Communist Middle Class.
Feb. 11, 2022
My CIA Career - Talking to Douglas London, about his book " The Recruiter, Spying and the Lost Art of American Intelligence."
A candid recount of a 34 year career in the CIA’s Clandestine Service, recruiting local agents. Middle East, Africa, South and Central Asia.