Talking Geopolitics

Already this month, Russia has violated the airspace of three NATO countries: Estonia, Romania and Poland - twice. What is Russian President Vladimir Putin trying to achieve with these bold moves, and what impact might they have on Ukraine negotiations? GPF Chairman George Friedman joined host Christian Smith to discuss the latest geopolitical developments in the region as well as outline his fore...

GPF contributor Kamran Bokhari recently wrote that massive geopolitical change has come to the Middle East in the form of the attack on Gaza, a weakening of Iran, paralyzing of Hezbollah, the overthrow of the Assad regime in Syria and much more. Considering all these developments and the way in which Israel's actions are driving events in the region, Dr. Bokhari was back on the Club's Podcast+ wit...

In what could prove to be a pivotal moment for the Middle East, Israel has bombed Hamas leaders in Qatar. It is the first time Israel has struck in Qatar, a nation that is a close ally with the U.S. In the immediate aftermath, GPF Chairman George Friedman gives his reaction. Why has Benjamin Netanyahu ordered this significant move? What does it say about Israel's wider strategy? And what does it m...

Over the weekend, the leaders of countries like China, Russia, India and Pakistan arrived in Tianjin, China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping was joined by Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un for a victory parade celebrating the end of the Second World War in Tiananmen Square. As Xi spoke of nothing less than creating a new global secu...

The impending 25 per cent tariffs on India over its purchase of Russian oil appears bold. While the US said its primary motivation was to hit Putin where it hurts, it understandably prompted a strong reaction from the government in New Delhi. So why is the US government willing to target India, what does China have to do with it, and what does it say about Trump's overall strategy? GPF Chairman Ge...

The United States military has gone through many evolutions, from technological to structural, over the decades. Maintaining dominance in the Atlantic theatre has long remained a top strategic imperative. In a recent live discussion with our ClubGPF members, George Friedman broke down U.S. command of the seas and whether he thinks the fleet will be tested with a major war in the next decade. Visit...

A long-awaited meeting between Presidents Trump and Putin is slated for this Friday in Alaska. The summit, which comes after three and a half years of war in Ukraine, was announced last Friday after President Trump said that he was going to impose 50 percent tariffs on India. Excitement and trepidation in political circles across the US and Europe is making this feel like a big moment. But is it?...

Last week, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned the Venezuelan group the Cartel de los Soles as a terrorist organization. President Trump has long considered the cartels to be terrorists and has made their destruction a key policy of his administration. The cartels export of drugs to the U.S. is having a devastating impact on parts of the country. In our new episode of Talking Geopolitics, join GPF Chairm...

Before he was elected for his second presidential term, Donald Trump promised to end the Ukraine war in one day. Last week, Trump gave Vladimir Putin a 50-day deadline to come to a peace deal on Ukraine before more sanctions will kick in on Russia and anyone who trades with Russia. In a recent live discussion with our Charter ClubGPF members, GPF Chairman George Friedman broke down what 'winning'...

For this episode of Talking Geopolitics, we turn our attention to China, where President Xi Jinping has been busy intensifying a crackdown on high-ranking officials. But although China's president may seem like a permanent feature on the global stage, a shaky Chinese economy and circling rivals means that his rule is far from secure. Geopolitical Futures analyst and China expert, Victoria Herczegh...

On Saturday US time, 7 B2 Spirit Bombers dropped more than a dozen Bunker Buster Bombs on Iran as part of a coordinated strike on three nuclear sites inside the country. It came just over a week after Israel began its own strikes on Iran, which it said was approaching the point of no return in the development of a nuclear weapon. But it has left the world asking: is this a turning point, the start...

Rivalry and alliances in the Middle East go back centuries and have shaped the geopolitics of this region in a major way. On this clip of a recent ClubGPF Podcast+ episode, GPF contributing analyst Kamran Bokhari joined Christian Smith to examine the complicated relationship between the various factions, mainly Saudi Arabia and Turkey, and how this all fits together to forecast the future of the M...

The U.S. decision to recuse itself from European security has created something of a crisis on the continent. America wants European countries to pick up their own defense spending and focus on their own region, following Vladimir Putin's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.  So what's the feeling in Europe about the risks countries there face from Russia? How are they navigating those threats? And do Americ...

It's hard to find a region facing as much widespread turmoil as the Middle East, both historically and in the modern world. As Geopolitical Futures' contributing analyst Hilal Khashan predicts, the Middle East will continue to oscillate between established and rising regional powers, with more turbulent times ahead. Hilal joined George Friedman for our recent ClubGPF live discussion to focus on th...

The return of Donald Trump to the White House was always going to mean a new showdown between the world's two largest economies. But, after spiraling tensions and escalating tariffs, last week the US and China announced that they had agreed to roll back recent measures for an initial 90 days. The agreement, which was hammered out over a weekend in Geneva, has relieved the markets. But the future o...

The US-Ukraine minerals deal is done but a Russia-Ukraine peace deal is seemingly out of reach. Now the US is looking to scale back its involvement in mediating an end to the conflict. So what's next for the war in Ukraine? In this episode, GPF Chairman George Friedman considers how the fighting might end, why Vladimir Putin might be running out of room, and why Eastern Europe is now the pivot poi...

Like much of the world, North American geopolitics looks very different to six months ago. Tariffs, border issues and suggestions of US troops in Mexico are creating concerns to America's south. On a recent episode of our ClubGPF's Podcast+, GPF director of analysis Allison Fedirka joined host Christian Smith as we continued our series on Trump's second term in office, looking at the geopolitics o...

The next great power is in the making. Could the United States make room for the likes of China or even Iran as the next superpower? As GPF Chairman George Friedman explained in our recent ClubGPF live discussion, a great power not only has to have a great military, it also has to have a high level of technology and a strong geopolitical position. To learn more about ClubGPF and join our next sess...

From the U.S., to Europe, China, the Middle East and Russia, relationships are being restructured due to changing geopolitical forces. As GPF Chairman George Friedman explained in our recent ClubGPF live discussion, we are now entering an age where America is taking on a pivotal role, and where economic warfare is the weapon of choice to maintain power. To learn more about ClubGPF and join our nex...

It has been a tumultuous couple of weeks since U.S. President Donald Trump announced his sweeping tariffs, pushing the world's two biggest economies, the United States and China, into an ever-escalating trade war. The radical shifts taken by the administration have us at GPF wondering, could this be one of the most consequential months for global economics in the 21st century? And are the tariffs...

As we edge over the halfway point of Donald Trump's first 100 days in his second term in office, it's possible we're seeing the start of America's terminal decline or its regeneration, depending on which side of the line you're on. While the US has been busily announcing the end of the post-World War II global order abroad, at home, the president seems to be even more rapidly trying to upend the s...

As the world watches the Transatlantic Alliance continue to strain, America's allies to the West are wondering what it all means for them. Analysts Victoria Herczegh and Ronan Wordsworth joined host Christian Smith in our recent Podcast+ episode for ClubGPF members to discuss what Trump's second term means for Australia, AUKUS, and the Indo-Pacific at large. In this clip, the analysts share their...

After Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Oval Office bust up, you might think the war in Ukraine is going rather well for Vladimir Putin. But, according to Geopolitical Futures Chairman George Friedman, the Russian president has already lost the war. Tune in to this new podcast from Geopolitical Futures as Friedman explains Russia's failure, why he thinks Trump is buttering up Putin, and what...

One month into Donald Trump's second term, even those who closely followed his first time in office have struggled to keep up. Foreign policy shifts alone include tariffs, attacks on allies, and a proposed takeover in Gaza. Now, an apparent rapprochement with Russia has the potential to revolutionize US strategy. What is the US trying to achieve in its negotiations with Russia? And is this all jus...

Historically, nations did not conduct themselves without aligning with or getting their bearings in relation to a power system that drove the world; an anchor. This was the case, for example, in the world wars of the last century, and the Cold War. But as Chairman George Friedman explained in our recent ClubGPF live discussion, things have changed, and various nations are testing each other. To le...