The Red Line

The South China sea is the new battleground between Beijing and Washington with the winner controlling the trades routes; and therefore the future of Asia. Caught in the middle is The Philippines, now torn between their military partners in Washington and their economic partners in Beijing, with the decision-maker being a wildly popular president accused of numerous human rights abuses. Manila is...

While everyone has their eyes on its imploding neighbours Guyana is entering its own new phase, one that is likely to make it one of the world's next big geopolitical flashpoints. With Iranian missiles, Cambridge Analytica buying elections, and a country up for sale this isolated jungle nation could be the next launchpad to threaten the world superpower at home. Thie week we sit down with Brittany...

Often referred to as the North Korea of Central Asia, Turkmenistan is simply a desert of contradictions. A nation where you memorize poems to get your driver's license, where the president raps on TV, and where many Guinness world records are broken; but more importantly a nation of starving people on top of the 4th largest gas reserves in the world. We go deeper into this reclusive society and ta...

In the South Caucasus between Armenia and Azerbaijan lies an island of Armenians in the middle of Azerbaijan, two countries now firmly at war with each other. The Armenians have invaded and now occupy a quarter of the Azeris territory, but they assert are only doing to protect their people from the government who threatens to "cleanse" the pocket of Armenians.  A complicated conflict with Russia s...

There are few geopolitical flashpoints in the world more dangerous than North Korea, and with instability at the top of the regime we can add another layer of complexity to an already shaky situation; one that few people truly understand. USA, China, Seoul and Pyongyang all have competing goals and needs to keep their own domestic politics in check, but some of those goals infringe upon others, an...

After a 30 year war with Sudan, South Sudan finally gained its independence, but with no external enemy, a power vacuum quickly told hold. Two men lead a nation into a civil war that destroyed the country and broke the future for this African nation even further.  Now peace talks are starting again and people are wondering if this will this be the peace deal that finally brings stability, or will...

The coldest battlefield in the world is opening up, and old regional rivalries are beginning to flare. This is moving trade routes from the US's backyard toward the Russians. A battle is about to begin for the far North, but only one side is really prepared. Russia is rolling out Arctic divisions, new bases and groundbreaking new missiles which threaten the US naval dominance across the world's oc...

Private militaries or PMC's have been popping up in all of the worlds conflict zones, guns for hire being paid to the dirty work nation-states don't want to do. Is this the future of war or is this a slippery slope that takes all the accountability out of the battlefield? This week we do a deep dive into the Wagner group (Putin's private army) and Blackwater/Frontier Services Group (Erik Princes H...

Venezuela, home to the largest proven oil reserves in the world was once the jewel of South America, the envy of the Latin world, but now the country sits on the brink of collapse.  Venezuela has gone so far now that other nations like China, Russia, and the US have begun circling like hungry vultures, looking to smash apart the nation and divide up the assets. So this week we sit down and ask whe...

The Libyan civil war is ramping to a climax, general Haftars forces have arrived at the gates on the capital Tripoli and the entire world is taking sides. Russia, the UAE, Turkey, France, Italy, Qatar and Egypt are all throwing fuel onto this already raging fire, not realising those flames are unlikely to remain contained inside Libya.  Three huge guests for this episode.  Jonathon Winer (Deputy A...

Foreign aid is one of the most misunderstood parts of any nations budget, why would a country give money to another country when they have hungry people at home? What people may not realise is that that 0.22% of your budget may be the only thing standing between you and your enemy setting up its armed forces in your backyard.  This weeks guests are  Matt Mcdonald Tess Newton Cain and Will Clapton...

Every month we seem to escalate the tensions with Iran, drawing Iran and the West closer and closer into large scale conflict. One that would likely drag in the rest of the nations in the Middle-East and then crash the world economy. This week we sit down with 4 expert witnesses to go through exactly how difficult an invasion of Iran will be, and what risks we would be taking on to do so.  www.the...

Kyrgyzstan stands at one of the most important decisions the country will ever make about its future, to look toward Moscow or to look toward Beijing.... The Kyrgyz people live upon some of the most important real estate in all of Asia, and now all the superpowers are beginning to compete for access to this vital crossroad. Guests are Chris Schwatz - (University of Leuven) Erica Marat - (National...

2020 is set to be one of the most impactful years for human history, where we will make choices that will steer our future for a decade to come. With critical elections, wars, and crises set to shape the next 12 months, next year will be year will we discuss in history classes for generations. We sit down with three of the world's top experts to see what they think will be the biggest stories for...

Between Moldova and Ukraine lies the breakaway republic of Transnistria the last nation to hold the hammer and sickle upon its flag, this unrecognized nation doesn't exist on any map but does hold the entire balance of power in Eastern Europe. This is the last barrier between the encroachment of the EU and the heartlands of Russia, so to better understand this breakaway republic we turn to 3 exper...

The UK has been polarised and dragged to a stop over the biggest issue to face the country since WW2....Brexit. With the government paralyzed the mandate has been turned back to the people with an early election, son we sit down with 3 expert guests to analyze what each party stands for and what they offer to right the path of Britain.  Guests this week Peter Sloman (University of Cambridge) Imke...

Yemen is currently the home to the worst humanitarian crisis of our time, with a civil war that has dragged in countries from all around the globe. This small desert country is now the 5-way battleground for the world's powers, with the world's oil routes at stake. Guests for this episode are Helen Lackner (Oxford University) Laura Kasinof (The New York Times) and Thomas Small (BAFTA award-winning...

Housing and shelter is one of the most basic needs a person has, but all around the world it is increasingly difficult for people to obtain a house of their own. The board is being stacked against many of us, and this may be the thing that brings the Australian economy down with it. Is there a recession coming in Australia? We pose this question to our expert guests. This shows guests are Graham C...

Only swimming distance from the borders of Australia lies the island of Guinea, where half the population is currently fighting to become free from an increasingly strict Indonesian government.  Its an issue we need to talk about with helicopters, phosphorus and corruption all throughout, with people dying every day at the hand of one of our closest neighbours. This week we chat to 3 expert witnes...

It has been 18 years since NATO declared war on Afghanistan, and what do we have to show for it? Where is the war at today? Im joined by three expert witnesses who are going to give us Afghanistans past, present and likely future.  This weeks guests are  Brian Glyn Williams (CIA and NSA expert on Afghanistan) Thomas Barfield (Professor of Anthropology at Boston university) Suma Sayeed (Advisor to...