Geopolitical Futures Podcast

The United States has always had a peculiar relationship with just about every country in the Western Hemisphere that isn’t Canada. The reasons for this go back as far as the Monroe Doctrine, of course, but the Cold War – and the associated coups and insurgencies etc. – left an indelible mark on the ways these countries interact with one another. After Jacob Shapiro and Cole Altom take a look at the week ahead, Allison Fedirka stops by to discuss why this is the case. Sign up for free updates on topics like this! Go here: https://goo.gl/zt6tzx

China, Japan and the Korean Peninsula tend to overshadow Southeast Asia, a geographically confounding region that was, until very recently, also home to our very own Phillip Orchard. Now that he’s back, he, Jacob Shapiro and Cole Altom will discuss this oft-overlooked area. But first, they address the elephant in the room: the meeting in May between Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump. Sign up for free updates on topics like this! Go here: https://goo.gl/zt6tzx

Now that Germany has finally formed a new government, the de facto leader of the EU can get back to being the de facto leader of the EU. But Italy has just elected into power parties that are less-than-friendly to Germany's agenda. Jacob Shapiro and Cole Altom discuss how this peculiar era of nationalism is just one chapter in a much longer story about Europe.Sign up for free updates on topics like this! Go here: https://goo.gl/zt6tzx

Syria is a mess. New alliances form as quickly as they fall apart. Cease-fires are agreed to and summarily ignored. Russians, Turks, Americans, Iranians, Kurds, Lebanese, Saudis and, of course, Syrians all have vested interests in outcome of the war. Jacob, Cole and Xander lay out what those interests are and catch up on what proved to be a very eventful week in northern Syria. Sign up for free updates on topics like this! Go here: https://goo.gl/zt6tzx

The accuracy of a media narrative depends on the motives of the agency that spins it. After previewing the week ahead, Jacob L. Shapiro and Cole Altom dissect Chinese media to get a sense of China’s military ambitions – and explain why Beijing has a lot of work to do before it can supplant Washington as the world’s leading power. Sign up for free updates on topics like these. Go here: https://goo.gl/zt6tzx

Why do we write about Romania but not Rwanda? Why don’t we cover the successes and failures of SpaceX? Director of Analysis Jacob Shapiro and Managing Editor Cole Altom return to talk about the things that don’t quite make it into our analytic framework. Sign up for free updates on topics like these. Go here: https://goo.gl/zt6tzx

Director of Analysis Jacob Shapiro and Managing Editor Cole Altom discuss the rise and fall of one of the more brutal jihadist groups the Middle East has ever seen. Sign up for free updates on topics like these. Go here: https://goo.gl/zt6tzx

Jacob Shapiro and Xander Snyder discuss the short and long-term strategic implications of Turkey's invasion. To see a map of the region being discussed click here: https://geopoliticalfutures.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/syria.jpg Sign up for free updates on topics like these. Go here: https://goo.gl/zt6tzx

Jacob Shapiro, director of analysis, and Xander Snyder answer your questions about the world. Sign up here for free updates on topics like these.

Allison Fedirka and Xander Snyder discuss the evolution of the most recent protests in Iran. Sign up here for free updates on topics like this.

Kamran Bokhari and Xander Snyder discuss the Islamic State’s presence in Afghanistan and its implications for South and Central Asia. Sign up for free updates on topics like this! Go here: https://goo.gl/j7gFyE

This week, GPF released our 2017 Report Card, complete with results on our forecasts from across the globe. Xander Snyder and Jacob L. Shapiro dive in to review our hits and our misses. Sign up for free updates on topics like this! Go here: https://goo.gl/j7gFyE

Xander Snyder and Kamran Bokhari explain how traditional rivalries are returning now that the Islamic State is in decline. Sign up for free updates on topics like this! Go here: https://goo.gl/j7gFyE