Geopolitical Horizons

The war in Ukraine has just passed its 18-month anniversary. It was on 24 February 2022 when Russian troops crossed into Ukraine beginning Europe's first interstate war since WW2. Since then, the west has provided military and economic support to Ukraine whilst Russia has been trying to conquer territory and grind out a victory. 

It was two years ago on August 15th, when the Afghan people prevailed against another empire as the US got up and left the mountainous country after a disastrous two decade occupation. The Taliban have been busy trying to rule over the nation and trying to solve the myriad of challenges. How have they fared 2 years on? 

The ancient Greeks, Romans, the place of the reformation and the enlightenment. The region that found the new world and colonised the world, for the last 500 years Europe defined the world. In this podcast we begin by looking at the regions of the world, beginning with Europe 

There is lots of chatter about the demise of the dollar, especially since the US placed unprecedented sanctions on Russia. Many US commentators are talking about the end of the dollar's dominance as a number of US allies trade with China in currencies that do not include the dollar. It seems not a day goes by without China's currency, the Yuan being in the news. The recent gathering of the BRICS o...

The killing of Nahel Mehzuk, a 17-year-old French-Algerian delivery driver during a traffic stop by French police has led to widespread protests in France. For many, taking to the streets is an expression of frustration and anger over injustices such as racism and inequality. Whilst for others it's a case of immigrants not adopting French values. In this podcast we sit down with Al-Ameer who was b...

We asked you on a number of platforms for your questions on geopolitics. We gathered these together and put them to geopolity founder Adnan Khan. 0.52 - Why are relations being normalised with Al-Assad 4:18 - What does Erdogan's recent electoral victory mean for Turkey's future 7:01 - What is the current status in Pakistan between the army and Imran Khan 9:12 - Tensions have broken out between the...

The events of the weekend in Russia could have been a plot from a Russian drama. A rogue soldier withdraws his units and leaves the battlefront in order to carry out a coup. He takes over a key base in Southern Russia which is essential for the war in Ukraine and whilst this is all going on, Moscow is put under high alert for a potential coup. And as we approached the climax of the plot an agreeme...

On May 14, Turkish voters will go to the polls to elect a new president and parliament in what is one of the most important elections of 2023. According to the latest polling, Turkey’s united opposition poses an unprecedented challenge to Erdogan’s rule. Is this the end of Erdogan or will he pull out another ace card?

20 years ago in March 2003, the  US launched an invasion of Iraq, promising to end the rule of President Saddam Hussein and destroy alleged weapons of mass destruction in the oil-rich country. Today, 20 years on, Saddam Hussain is gone, 200,000 Iraqis lost their lives and the country remains deeply scarred, the economy is devastated and the government is marred with sectarian battles. America's re...

Saudi Arabia has recently been in the headlines with its normalisation with Iran. Named after the tribe that came to dominate the Hijaz. Successive Saudi Kings have navigated the Kingdom through the discovery of oil, the Cold War and 9/11. Saudi faces many challenges going forward much like its history

How do we make sense of the world? There is so much going on at any given time, what are the building blocks of geopolitics and how do we make sense of them. In this series of podcasts, we begin with looking at the how to do this. 

Germany today is the industrial powerhouse of Europe, sitting at the centre of the continent. But its had difficult relations with many of its neighbours leading to devastating wars. In this podcast our Europe analyst Massihollah Rohparwar, who is based in Hamburg outlines the geopolitics of Germany.

The 24th February marks the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The conflict looks very far from ending anytime soon and a Russian victory that everyone was expecting didn't come to pass. There hasn't been a nuclear war yet or WW3 but all the major powers are involved in different ways. In this podcast we asses where the war stands after one year

Nigeria goes to the polls on the 25th February 2023 to elect the President, Vice President, Senate and House representatives. The West African nation has for long been seen as a developing nation which led Goldman Sachs to label the African nation as one of the MINT nations in 2014 who along with Mexico, Indonesia and Turkey have the potential in the long term to move up the economic ladder and be...

Pakistan faces a perfect storm as numerous crises have all converged at the same time. From spiralling inflation to the national debt, Pakistan is fast approaching a national meltdown. Pakistan's rulers are busy trying to show the IMF they are worthy of a bailout as her usual lenders in the Gulf as well as China have had enough bailing out the South Asian nation. Is Pakistan about to become a fail...

Recently there was a standoff on the Kosovo-Serbia border. This was after Kosovo ordered drivers to surrender their Serbian-issued licence plates and replace them with Kosovo plates. Serbs living in northern Kosovo started erecting barricades and Kosovo residents confronted them. A traffic jam ensued, and so did a small shootout. The shooting has now died down but the threats have continued. A sho...

The French emerged at the centre of Europe becoming the first nation to embrace liberal values on the continent. In time France become a global power establishing colonies and spreading French culture and values. But the French have struggled after two world wars with Germany to maintain a leading position in the world with many questioning the future of France as a power in the world. 

As 2023 fast approaches Geopolity looks at some of the key issues that are likely to take place as well as some of the major events that will shape the year.

Yusuf Chaudhry previews the forthcoming annual geopolity report, Strategic Estimate 2023.

Pakistan’s turbulent politics recently saw former Prime Minister Imran Khan survive an assassination attempt. Khan is trying to force elections after being ousted in a vote of no confidence and after falling out with the nation's army chief. Pakistan has always been an enigma in South Asia, always teetering on the verge of collapse as its politics seesaws violently. With such an instable political...

The United States began as 13 rebellious colonies on the Eastern edge of the North American continent and in time it would emerge the global superpower. Despite establishing a global order after WW2 and emerging victorious in the Cold War in the 21st century the US faces numerous challenges in maintaining its position at the top of the premier league of nations. 

At least 35 people have been killed in the worst unrest in Iran for years. Protests have spread throughout the country after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was arrested by Iran's morality police for allegedly breaking headscarf rules. Masha Amini eventually died whilst in police custody. Her death resulted in a series of large-scale protests across the country and garnered international attention. The Cl...

For a long time, Germany was able to outsource its security to the US. This allowed Germany to pursue economic and industrial development, not needing to invest in a large defence industry. With the fall of the Berlin wall unified Germany found a reliable and stable supply of energy from Russia and over the decades Germany became reliant on Russian gas and oil. Whilst this three-way marriage worke...

Six months ago  Russian forces began a full scale invasion of Ukraine. The world watched in horror as Russian forces bombed Ukraine’s cities and swallowed up territory. But the war didn't go according to Russian plans. Ukraine's Capital held out and Ukrainian forces caused significant problems for Russia. The economic war also expanded as Russia was kicked out of the global financial messaging ser...

On 15th of August 2022, it will be one year since the fall of the Kabul government and America's departure from Afghanistan. We all remember the images from the airport as western nations abandoned Afghanistan. The Taliban inherited a country suffering from the scars of a decades long occupation and faced major challenges in solving some of the nations key issues. In this podcast we look at how th...