#international-relations
65 episodes
#2637: How Russia Justified Invading Ukraine — and What Actually Happened
The real reasons Russia invaded Ukraine, the history erased by propaganda, and where the front lines stand today.
#2627: Silk Road Countries: A Central Asia Travel Guide
Five countries, millennia of history, and a surprising connection to Israel. A practical guide to Central Asia.
#2615: Dual Citizenship: Loyalty, Law & Living in Two Countries
Two hundred million people hold multiple passports. How did dual citizenship go from taboo to normal?
#2614: Who Gets to Vote from Abroad?
How the U.S. and Israel handle military and diplomatic ballots — and whether expats should vote at all.
#2523: The OECD’s Quiet Power Over Environmental Data
How a “rich country club” became the world’s most reliable source for environmental data—and why that matters.
#2522: How Science Bridges Hostile Borders
Ireland, Slovenia, and Spain push to exclude Israel from Horizon Europe—while history shows science cooperation works across enemy lines.
#2520: Oil Prices, OPEC, and the UAE Shock
The UAE is leaving OPEC. What that means for oil prices, food costs, and global stability.
#2454: Ireland's Neutrality: Myth or Reality?
Ireland claims military neutrality but pursues aggressive diplomatic actions. Can a nearly defenseless country truly stay neutral?
#2420: How 4 Countries Actually Destigmatized Mental Health
Australia, New Zealand, Rwanda, and the Netherlands show what structural change looks like — not just awareness campaigns.
#2418: One Number That Changed Development Economics
How the HDI measures progress, where it falls short, and what it reveals about inequality.
#2396: Predicting War: The Science of Geopolitical Forecasting
How do experts predict wars before they happen? Explore the high-stakes world of geopolitical forecasting, from Cold War models to AI-driven simula...
#2394: How SITREPs Cut Through Geopolitical Noise
Learn how military-grade SITREP formats filter chaos into actionable intel—without the punditry.
#2385: Decoding Travel Advisories as Diplomatic Signals
How governments use travel advisories to broadcast coded messages—and what their structures reveal about hidden intelligence assessments.
#2382: How Five Eyes Intel Sharing Really Works
Behind the headlines of global cyber takedowns—how Five Eyes allies share signals intelligence in practice, from WWII roots to modern ops.
#2378: How Global News Wires Built the First Draft of History
From telegraphs to RSS feeds, discover how global news wires like Reuters and AP shaped factual reporting worldwide.
#2367: Iran's Contradictory Signals: Strategy or Chaos?
How Iran uses contradictory signals to shape its adversaries' decisions, and why this strategy is so hard to decode.
#2339: When OSINT Meets the Fog of War
How open-source intelligence is reshaping—and sometimes distorting—our understanding of modern conflict.
#2320: The Hidden Role of Khat in Yemen’s Collapse
How a single leaf became a driving force behind Yemen’s economic, social, and political unraveling.
#2308: When AI Forecasts Collide: Geopol Model Divergence
Five AI models forecast the Iran-Israel-US crisis — and their disagreements reveal surprising insights about geopolitical reasoning.
#2302: How Airlines Build (and Lose) New Flight Routes
What does it take to launch a new airline route—and why do so many fail? Dive into the hidden machinery of air travel.
#2300: Ten Documentaries to Decode Today's Geopolitics and Tech Shifts
Discover ten must-watch documentaries that unpack the geopolitics and technological transformations reshaping our world.
#2293: Spain's Global Left Summit: Unity or Optics?
How Spain became the hub for a global left counter-movement, and what the Barcelona summit reveals about its limits.
#2289: How Israel and Saudi Arabia Cooperate Without Diplomatic Ties
How do Israel and Saudi Arabia coordinate militarily despite no diplomatic relations? Explore the mechanics behind this paradoxical partnership.
#2280: Palestine Before 1948: People, Politics, and Sovereignty
What did Palestine look like before 1948? Demographics, political organization, and why "no state, no rights" collapses under scrutiny.
#2276: A Guided Tour Through My Weird Prompts' Best Episodes
Discover ten standout episodes that define the essence of My Weird Prompts, from AI insights to quirky curiosities.
#2229: Decoding "Working Level": What Diplomats Really Mean
When the White House calls a meeting "working level," what's actually being signaled? We decode the vocabulary system that grades every diplomatic ...
#2201: The UK's Impossible Choice in Trump's Iran War
Britain is caught between US military demands and European diplomatic norms—and the fracture could reshape the transatlantic alliance for a generat...
#2155: Public Affairs vs. Lobbying: Shaping the Battlefield
Lobbying is just one tool. Public affairs shapes the entire regulatory battlefield—from AI laws to supply chains.
#2149: Pakistan's Two-Track Diplomacy
Pakistan hosts US-Iran peace talks while its Defense Minister calls Israel a "cancerous state."
#2147: Israel's New Axis: Beyond Washington
Forget the US map: Israel's real 2026 allies are in the Gulf and India.
#2084: Why Turkey and Israel Are Estranged Allies
Turkey and Israel share deep trade and cultural ties, yet their governments are at odds. Here’s why.
#2055: From Ring of Fire to Circle of Peace?
Could a post-regime Iran unlock a massive Middle East trading bloc, from Dubai to Tehran?
#2053: So What If the UN Disappeared Tomorrow?
Would the world descend into chaos or just get more efficient? We explore a world without the UN.
#2000: Why Intelligence Agencies Slice the World into Desks
How the CIA and State Dept slice 195 countries into bureaucratic boxes—and why that creates dangerous seams.
#1984: Fluent in Arabic, Suspected as a Spy
Why fluency in Arabic can make you a suspect in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
#1958: Why Is Being Late Respectful?
We traded natural rhythms for the factory clock. Here’s how the Industrial Revolution rewired our relationship with time.
#1751: From Akmene to Cork to Jerusalem
A Jewish family’s journey from the Russian Empire to Ireland and back to Israel, shaped by pogroms, a linguistic mix-up, and resilience.
#1553: The Global Law Gap: High-Stakes Drama vs. Technical Success
Why does international law thrive in technical "plumbing" but fail in high-stakes justice? Discover the growing global enforcement gap.
#1488: The $13.5 Trillion Power Play: Sovereign Wealth Weaponized
With $13.5 trillion in assets, sovereign wealth funds are shifting from passive savings to active tools of geopolitical influence and warfare.
#1417: Sovereignty as a Service: The Modern Island Dependency
Explore why some islands choose legal limbo over independence and how they've turned "outsourced statehood" into a high-wealth economic model.
#1390: Will Biology Kill the Secular West?
By 2050, Christianity and Islam will reach near-parity. Explore the demographic momentum driving this massive global realignment.
#1350: Escaping the Global Noise: The Geography of Irrelevance
In a world of constant connectivity, can we still find true sanctuary? Explore the geography of irrelevance and the ultimate remote escapes.
#1239: Why Can't We All Use the Same Screw?
Explore how mismatched screw threads and telegraph wires shaped the invisible technical rules that govern our modern world.
#1238: Broken Maps: Why Global Labels No Longer Fit the World
Are terms like "developing" and "Global South" obsolete? Discover why 1950s mental geography is failing to describe the modern world.
#1154: The Davos Disconnect: Hypocrisy at the Peak
Explore the widening gap between elite rhetoric and global reality as we dissect the 2026 World Economic Forum summit in Davos.
#1144: The Broken Pendulum: Israel and Turkey’s Dangerous Pivot
Is the rift between Israel and Turkey permanent? Explore the data, shadow trade, and rising neo-Ottoman ambitions in this regional deep dive.
#1143: The Myth of Unbreakable Bonds: Interests vs. Alliances
Explore why nations have no eternal friends, only perpetual interests, as we unpack the shifting alliances of 2026.
#1141: Trump’s 2026 Foreign Policy: Statesmanship or Chaos?
Is the second Trump term a masterclass in coercive diplomacy or the end of the American century? We analyze the 2026 geopolitical shift.
#1128: The Diplomatic Dimmer: Inside the Recall of Ambassadors
When Spain recalled its ambassador from Israel, it wasn't a total break. Learn how the "diplomatic dimmer switch" works in international relations.
#1060: Persona Non Grata: The 72-Hour Diplomatic Countdown
What happens when a diplomat is given 72 hours to leave? Explore the legal and logistical chaos of being declared persona non grata.
#981: Why Most Americans Under 55 Just Turned on Israel
A historic shift is underway as Americans under 55 move away from a pro-Israel consensus. We dive into the data behind this "Opinion Gap."
#969: Beyond Bond: The Hidden Reality of Global Intelligence
Forget James Bond. Discover how countries like Ireland and Jordan navigate the high-stakes world of global intelligence and secret diplomacy.
#961: Borders of the Absurd: Inside Shebaa Farms and Ghajar
Discover the strange reality of the northern border, where a single village was split in two and a mountain strip became a legal ghost.
#933: Why One Wrong Word Could Start a War
Discover the high-stakes world of simultaneous interpretation, where a single mistranslated word can change history or spark a conflict.
#931: Dismantling the Octopus: The New Push for Iranian Change
Explore the surgical strategies and "economic octopus" behind the current push for regime change in Iran and the dismantling of the IRGC.
#930: The World’s Policeman: American Power and the New Restraint
Is America still the world's policeman? We explore the shift from the Monroe Doctrine to the aggressive "interventionist isolationism" of 2026.
#860: Why 70% of Humans Just Traded Freedom for a Bulldozer
Explore why the world is retreating toward authoritarianism despite an era of decentralized technology and global connectivity.
#645: The Return of the Big War: Mapping Global Conflict in 2026
Is the world truly more violent, or are we just more informed? Explore the data behind the global surge in conflict and the return of the "Big War."
#501: The Split Footprint: Why U.S. Diplomacy is Scattered
Herman and Corn dive into the complex, fragmented world of U.S. diplomacy and why some embassies are split across multiple cities.
#486: Ink and Power: The Hidden World of Diplomatic Letters
In an era of instant messaging, why do world leaders still rely on physical letters? Discover the secret art of high-stakes diplomacy.
#452: Boutique Diplomacy: Inside Jerusalem’s Startup Embassies
Discover how small nations like Fiji and Papua New Guinea are reinventing diplomacy in Jerusalem through ag-tech, rugby, and lean "startup" models.
#430: Jerusalem’s Ghost Consulates: Diplomacy in Limbo
Discover why some Jerusalem consulates ignore the state they’re in and how 400-year-old treaties still shape the city’s bizarre diplomatic map.
#423: The Theatre of Diplomacy: How Nations Fight Without War
Explore the hidden language of international relations, from the strategic recall of ambassadors to the high-stakes theater of the diplomatic snub.
#417: Shadows and Signals: The World of Back-Channel Diplomacy
How do enemies talk when embassies are closed? Explore the secret world of back-channel diplomacy, validation signals, and "honest brokers."
#274: The Invisible Architecture of Diplomacy: Inside Protocol
Discover the invisible rules of global power. Herman and Corn explore how flag placement and seating charts keep the world running smoothly.