Sanctions
214 episodes · Page 7 of 9
#1382: Geography as Destiny: The Cold Logic of Geopolitics
Why do nations fight over barren rocks? Explore the "hardware" of geography versus the "software" of politics in this deep dive.
#1381: Contract Ops: The Hidden Mechanics of Trade Missions
Beyond the ribbon-cutting, trade missions are state-sponsored sales funnels for corporate giants. Discover the reality of the "contract op."
#1371: The Legal Patchwork of Terrorist Proscription
What happens when a group moves from the "limelight" into a terrorist list? Explore the legal mechanics and global politics of proscription.
#1370: Trade War 2026: The Return of the Tariff Wall
Explore the legal whiplash of 2026 as the US hits its highest tariff rates in decades, reviving a century-old battle over global trade.
#1369: The End of the $4 Miracle: AliExpress in a Post-Tax World
The era of cheap international shipping is over. Discover how AliExpress is pivoting its business model to survive new global trade taxes.
#1368: When Spy-Catchers Go Dark
As global threats rise, why are elite spy-catching units being dismantled? Explore the fragile state of counterintelligence in 2026.
#1361: The UN Firewall: The Hidden Art of Multilateral Diplomacy
Beyond the speeches, the real work of the UN happens in windowless rooms. Discover the high-stakes world of brackets, votes, and backchannels.
#1357: Why the Muslim World Is a Western Fantasy
Stop viewing the Muslim world as a monolith. Explore the four power poles and the "polite fiction" of modern statehood in 2026.
#1356: The Coalition of the Desperate: Building a Transactional Axis
How do a theocracy, an autocracy, and a hermit kingdom build a unified military machine? Explore the "vertical integration" of the new Axis.
#1335: Can We Stop Big Tech From Breaking the Free Market?
Is bigness bad? We dive into the history of antitrust law, from Gilded Age oil tycoons to the digital gatekeepers of the 21st century.
#1331: The Plumbing That Binds Continents
Explore the deep institutional ties between Israel and the EU, and why Ireland is leading a controversial charge to dismantle them.
#1316: The Gig Economy Spy: Crowdsourcing Modern Espionage
Forget James Bond. Today’s spies are ordinary citizens earning crypto for smartphone photos. Discover how the IRGC is crowdsourcing intelligence.
#1280: Laptop Farms: North Korea’s Invisible Hardware Backdoor
Discover how North Korean operatives use "laptop farms" and IP-KVM hardware to bypass security and infiltrate the US workforce.
#1276: Shadow Strikes: The Art of Deniable Sabotage
Explore how micro-drones, severed cables, and "pre-positioned" malware are redefining warfare long before the first shot is fired.
#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.
#1202: The End of Negotiation: A New Kinetic Order
Explore the end of strategic patience as the US and Israel shift from diplomatic negotiation to the active dismantling of extremist regimes.
#1196: The Myth of Lawless Seas
Is the ocean truly a lawless frontier? Discover the complex legal zones of the high seas and why "pirate" dreams are a legal nightmare.
#1182: China's Gray Rhino: Succession Risk and the Siege Mentality
From "wolf warrior" diplomacy to the "gray rhino" of succession, we break down China’s 2026 strategy for dominance and self-reliance.
#1175: Why the World's Oil Is Trapped in a Geological Cul-de-Sac
With 20% of the world's oil stalled, the Strait of Hormuz has become a systemic seizure for the global economy.
#1162: The Moral Statecraft Paradox: When Principle Costs You Everything
Ireland's "moral crusade" meets economic reality. Is a new trade bill about to sever the nation's vital lifeline to the United States?
#1157: Unconstrained: The New Global ICBM Arms Race
With the New START treaty expired, the world enters a dangerous new era of unconstrained nuclear competition and rapid ICBM expansion.
#1153: The Micronation Dream: A Sloth and Donkey's Legal Hustle
Is any land left on Earth truly unclaimed? Join the quest to find out if you can still plant a flag and start your own sovereign nation.
#1147: The Cracks in the Monolith: Russia’s Internal Divide
Explore the internal fractures and cultural diversity of the world's largest nation. Is Russia a unified state or a collection of disparate pieces?