The Geopolitical Puzzle

In this episode, our guest is Dr. Euan Graham, one of the world’s leading experts on Indo-Pacific security, to unpack the complex forces shaping the world’s most dynamic and strategically vital region. From the critical chokepoints of the Strait of Malacca and Taiwan Strait to the rise of nimble minilateral alliances like the Quad and AUKUS, Dr. Graham breaks down how nations are responding to Chi...

For centuries, the Port of Rotterdam was a global gateway focused on efficiency and profit. Today, it is at the center of a complex geopolitical puzzle where trade, security, and energy independence collide. In this episode, Frans-Paul van der Putten , a leading expert on geopolitics and author of China Resurrected, joins us to explore how Europe’s largest port is navigating a challenging world. W...

En este episodio, nos acompaña Alejandro Peña Esclusa, con quien analizamos el nuevo equilibrio de poder en Venezuela tras la captura de Nicolás Maduro Moros, el dictador comunista. ¿Estamos ante una verdadera transición democrática o solo una reconfiguración del chavismo bajo tutela externa? Hablamos de los tres escenarios más probables a corto y mediano plazo, de la sostenibilidad de una posible...

Explore the strategic importance of the Port of Piraeus, one of the world's most vital maritime gateways. Located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa, this Greek port offers a major time advantage for delivering goods into Central and Eastern Europe. Shipping expert Yannis Triphyllis joins Juan Carlos Giraldo to discuss the geographic strengths, role in global trade, security conside...

Trump reunió en el Trump National Doral a presidentes y primeros ministros de 12 países clave : Argentina (Javier Milei), Bolivia (Rodrigo Paz Pereira), Chile (José Antonio Kast, presidente electo o ya asumido), Costa Rica (Rodrigo Chaves), Ecuador (Daniel Noboa), El Salvador (Nayib Bukele), Guyana (Mohamed Irfaan Ali), Honduras (Nasry “Tito” Asfura), Panamá (José Raúl Mulino), Paraguay (Santiago...

Fue un placer tener como invitado a Robert Evan Ellis, investigador y profesor de The United States Army War College. Profesor Elis es experto en estudios latinoamericanos en el Instituto de Estudios Estratégicos de la Escuela de Guerra del Ejército de los Estados Unidos, y se centra en las relaciones de la región con China y otros actores no pertenecientes al hemisferio occidental, así como en el...

Despite its small size and isolation, Diego Garcia hosts a joint UK-US military facility that supports American power projection across three continents. We will analyze its location, history, operational capabilities, recent diplomatic developments, and why it remains essential for US national security in 2026.

El 3 de enero de 2026, fuerzas especiales de EE.UU. irrumpieron en Caracas y capturaron al presidente Nicolás Maduro y a su esposa Cilia Flores en una operación quirúrgica que cambió el tablero regional para siempre. ¿Qué significa esto para Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, China y Rusia? Analizamos el fin de una era chavista, el precedente de intervención directa en el hemisferio, el impacto en el nar...

In our season finale, we sail straight into the future of Arctic navigation with the Transpolar Sea Route—the boldest, shortest path across the top of the world. Unlike the coastal Northern Sea Route hugging Russia's shores or the intricate Northwest Passage through Canada's archipelago, the Transpolar Route cuts directly over the North Pole, linking the Atlantic and Pacific across the hig...

En este episodio de la temporada relacionada al Ártico exploramos por qué Groenlandia, la isla más grande del mundo, se convirtió en el centro de una nueva competencia geopolítica: deshielo acelerado, minerales estratégicos y la disputa entre Estados Unidos, Rusia y China por el control del Ártico.

As the ice melts, a single railway from Finland to the Arctic Ocean is becoming the new geopolitical fault line. The Arctic Railway Project. Juho Kähkönen researcher in International Relations and International Law at the University of Lapland in Finland, and a fellow at the Belfer Center here at Harvard University, reveals what is the Arctic Railway Project is, the role of the indigenous Sámi com...

In this new episode, we'll focus on the Arctic Council, the crucial cooperation forum for this region. Our guest is Svein Vigeland Rottem, senior research fellow at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute in Norway. He's an expert on security, governance, and the Arctic Council. We'll analyze the importance of the Arctic Council, its leadership, the challenges it faces, the pause in its operations in 2022 f...

In this five-episode season, we'll focus on the Arctic: a region of increasing strategic geopolitical competition, with enormous potential in terms of resources, shipping routes, and profound environmental changes. In this first episode, we talk with Serafima Andreeva , a researcher at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute, Norway's leading research institute on Arctic international affairs. Her w...

Uno de los estrechos con más oportunidades en el mundo es sin duda alguna el estrecho de Magallanes, una ruta estratégica en el extremo sur de Latino América para el comercio internacional y un punto clave para acceder a la Antártida. En este episodio nos acompaña Sebastian Shulz, investigador en geopolítica y profesor de la Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación de la Universidad Naci...

En la actualidad las noticias relacionadas al canal de panamá y su rol en las relaciones internacionales y geopolíticas están en las portadas internacionales debido a que desde que retorno al poder el presidente de los Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, desde que regresó al poder en enero, ha afirmado repetidamente su intención de retomar la influencia sobre el canal. Amilcar Bonilla, profesor de Derec...

Bienvenidos a The Geopolitical Puzzle, En enero de 2025, el presidente Trump acaparó titulares al firmar una orden ejecutiva que renombró torno al Golfo de México, ¿o mejor dicho, el Golfo de América? Una medida que generó controversia y debate y que tiene consecuencias mas alla de solo el cambio de nombre en cuanto a la geopolítica, diplomacia, comercio y mas. Hoy, nuestro invitado es Eduardo Ord...

Welcome to The Geopolitical Puzzle. In this episode, my guest is Yunus Turhan, Associate Professor at Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University in Turkey and a Postdoctoral Researcher at Harvard University. He also authored an interesting paper, "The hydro-political dilemma in African water geopolitics: The case of the Nile River basin." We discuss the importance of the Nile River in geopolitic...

Today, in this episode, my guest is Professor Andrey Todorov. Professor Todorov is a researcher on the Arctic Ocean, polar shipping regulation, ecosystem-based marine management, and maritime disputes in the Arctic. In this episode, we talk about the Bering Strait, its importance in the Arctic, and the role of the United States and Russia in this crucial maritime passage. Shipping Governance in th...

Welcome to The Geopolitical Puzzle; today, my guest is Federico Donelli. Federico Donelli is an international relations professor at the University of Trieste in Italy. He covers Red Sea security and politics. He is the author of an interesting article published in The Conversation: "Red Sea Politics: Why Turkey is Helping Somalia Defend its Waters." He is also the author of the book &qu...

Teresa Nogueira Pinto is an expert on African affairs. She has a master's degree in international relations from the Institute of Political Studies of the Portuguese Catholic University and a bachelor's degree in political science from the Catholic University of Lisbon, Portugal. This episode discusses the role, challenges, failures, and geopolitical impact of United Nations peacekeeping m...

Welcome to a new episode of The Geopolitical Puzzle. Today, in this episode, my guest is Karl-Peter Schwarz, former Austrian foreign correspondent in Rome. He is the author of a very interesting article entitled "Vatican Geopolitics," which was published by the Geopolitical Intelligence Service. Karl Peter Shwarz shares how the Vatican and the Pope position themselves in the geopolitical...

Welcome to a new episode of "The Geopolitical Puzzle". For this episode, my guest is Dr. Simona Grano, Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Asian and Oriental Studies at the University of Zurich, Switzerland. She also co-authors the book "China-US Competition: Impact on the Strategic Choices of Small and Medium Powers." We discussed the relationship between Switzerland and China...

Welcome to the second season of The Geopolitical Puzzle. For this episode, my guest is Joel Bhagwandin from Guyana. is a financial advisor and political consultant based in Georgetown, the capital of Guyana. In this episode, Joel shares his opinions on the border controversy between Guyana and Venezuela over the Essequibo region and its geopolitical impact on Latin America, the Caribbean, and the...

Welcome to a new episode of The Geopolitical Puzzle; today, my guest is Joseph Wehmeyer, a press intern at the United States Senate. Joseph Wehemeyer is the author of the article "What Would Greenland Independence Mean for the Arctic?" published in the Council on Foreign Relations. In this episode, we will analyze his article, the possible geopolitical implications of Greenland's ind...

Welcome to a new episode of The Geopolitical Puzzle; today, my guest is Professor Michael Woldemariam . Professor Michael Woldemariam is an associate professor at the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, College Park, and a senior fellow at the Maryland Center for International and Security Studies. Professor Woldemariam focuses on teaching and research in African security studie...