The Geopolitical Pickle

Israel has launched an all-out-war against Hamas in Gaza in the aftermath of the Oct 7th attack, and there are many implications of it. In this episode our hosts talked about the current situation in the ground and the effects that it has in the Middle East and the world. How will it affect Israel's relation with its allies? What repercussions will the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have to global trade? What future there is for the Gaza Strip and its people? Let us know what you think. #Gaza #Israel #Geopolitics

Syria has been brought back from the cold in the Middle East, with some diplomatic relations restored and invitation back into the fold of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League. Is the surging Captagon trade behind this over decade long isolation coming to an end? Join us as we talk with Caroline Rose (@CarolineRose8), Director of the Strategic Blind Spots Portfolio at the New Lines Institute and leader of the Special Captagon Trade Project.

Welcome back to The Geopolitical Pickle. In this episode, we venture into the heart of West Africa, where a series of military coups have sent shockwaves through the region. This summer witnessed coups in Niger and Gabon, adding to a growing list of military takeovers, particularly in former French colonies. But what's striking is the emergence of what experts are calling the new "Coup Belt." This belt not only carries a distinct anti-French sentiment but also features pro-Russian coup leaders and calls for the withdrawal of Western forces from the ground. To make sense of this complex situation, we'll explore the intertwining factors of geopolitical interests, anti-colonial sentiments, and the extreme insecurity prevalent in most of the Sahel. Join us as we analyze the underlying reasons behind these coups and discuss their far-reaching consequences. Stay tuned for a deep dive into the shifting sands of African geopolitics. The Geopolitical Pickle is back, and we're ready to unravel the intricacies of the "Belt of Coups" in West Africa.

What are the conditions for statehood? What determines whether a state will be internationally recognized? Is international recognition needed? What does it depend on? Join us on this debate as we explore the world of Unrecognized States and discuss their similarities and differences of entities such as The Holy See, Somaliland, Kosovo and Bougainville. Follow us on every platform for more content.

How is the security situation in East Asia evolving? How does Japan see its geopolitical position as part of this given the emerging threats of Russia and China? Mr. Hideo Suzuki, Ambassador of Japan to the Czech Republic, discusses the challenges and opportunities that Japan sees in its region and beyond. Follow us on social media! FB - The Geopolitical Pickle IG - @thegeopoliticalpickle TW - @thegeopickle

Before winter we released an episode analyzing the situation in the war in Ukraine and its geopolitical aspects. Now, in late spring 2023, we update again the current situation and assess the potential outcomes of the conflic. This time we are joined by Ridvan Bari Urcosta, expert in the Black Sea region, Russia, Ukraine and Middle East and analyst for Geopolitical Futures and Strategy & Future. The interview with Ridvan Bari Urcosta was recorded on 17th May. Follow us on every platform for more weekly content.

In this episode we are joined by Geopolitical Futures Chief Operating Officer and lecturer on international relations at the Romanian National University of Political Studies and Public Administration Antonia Colibasanu. Starting with an introduction to Geoeconomics, find out what the terms mean, how Europe is vulnerable, and the interplay between economics and geopolitics that shape all international relations.

On March 20th 2003 the USA and the UK, alongside other allied countries invaded Iraq in order to remove Saddam Hussein and put an end to his program producing Weapons of Mass Destruction. Saddam was overthrown, but the weapons were never found. 20 years since the first troops landed in Iraq, the invasion and subsequent insurgency and political turmoil reshaped the entire Middle East and the foreign policy of the US. Recent developments in the beginning of 2023 however, may point at stabilization of relations between regional competitors.

South Africa is undergoing a disastrous energy shortage crippling the economy and stirring unrest. Join us as we talk with ex-ANC spokesperson Isaac Mashaba about what is behind the current national disaster. With elections due in 2024, what are the future prospects for the party of Nelson Mandela and how could the impacts be felt across the SADC region.

How could AUKUS and nuclear submarines jeopradise the future of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)? Listen to expert Sébastien Philippe (@seb6philippe) as he weighs in on this potential threat to the 1968 treaty and the serious implications for our future.

Královec is a historic territory located where current day Kaliningrad stands - a strategically vital part of modern day Russia. What's the deal with the region and how does it relate to the current war in Ukraine? Find out about exclaves, how they are governed from their home territory, and more with special guest Bohumil Doboš (@BohumilDobos) of Charles University.

Welcome back to the second part of our 2022 year in review. If you haven't listened to the first part, we suggest that you do that first. In this two part series we aim to break down some of the major developments across the world including of course the war and its ramifications as well as some of the other big stories that may have been overshadowed due to the ongoing conflict. This episode covers Southern Africa and Asia, as well as looking at some of the effects of climate change and developments in the Cyber and Space domains. I am sure there is some things that we missed so why not let us know your top 5 geo-politically important events of the year? Instagram Facebook Twitter Linktree We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year however you may celebrate. We are your hosts Juan Francisco Muñoz (@jacom95JF) & Ronan Wordsworth (@ronanwords) and we wish to thank the rest of the team for their help in the massive amount of research that needed to be done to pull these episodes together! Alex Perry - @yrrepxxela Milos Dangubic - @mdang44 Lía Rodríguez - @liarguezz Paula Gómez - @pauulagomz Luca Spiller - @ben_spill Diana Argumedo - @dianaargumedo

2022 has been a crazy year with huge geopolitical developments around the globe in the midst of the first large scale war on the European continent since WW2. In this two part series we aim to break down some of the major developments across the world including of course the war and its ramifications as well as some of the other big stories that may have been overshadowed due to the ongoing conflict. This first episode covers Europe, North and South America, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and West Africa. I am sure there is some things that we missed so why not let us know your top 5 geo-politically important events of the year? Instagram Facebook Twitter Linktree We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year however you may celebrate. We are your hosts Juan Francisco Muñoz (@jacom95JF) & Ronan Wordsworth (@ronanwords) and we wish to thank the rest of the team for their help in the massive amount of research that needed to be done to pull these episodes together! Alex Perry - @yrrepxxela Milos Dangubic - @mdang44 Lía Rodríguez - @liarguezz Paula Gómez - @pauulagomz Luca Spiller - @ben_spill Diana Argumedo - @dianaargumedo

The Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup has put the focus on a phenomenom called "sportswashing". Today we will talk about how sports are used by actors as a form of soft-power to create an image to the world. Is the World Cup an example of sportswashing? How does it fit into the historical context which has played out through the 20th Century? Tune in to hear our discussion on sportswashing spanning a multitude of sports and different eras, how sport can play on people's emotions to create memories, and how how it's increasingly become an arena where geopolitical battles are fought for hearts and minds! What are your thoughts on sportswashing? Should Qatar have been awarded the World Cup and what do you think of their hosting? Get in touch and let us know your thoughts and we would love to include some comments in a future episode. All our contact details are available at: https://linktr.ee/thegeopoliticalpickle The Geopolitical Pickle jar included: Juan Francisco Muñoz - @jacom95JF : Host Ronan Wordsworth - @ronanwords : Host Milos Dangubic - @mdang44 Owen Sutherland - @osutherland99 Luca Spiller - @ben_spill

We are back at the 11th Annual Geopolitical Conference in Charles University, Prague, and this time with three of the speakers of the event: Dr. Peter Eltsov, Mr. Eeben Barlow and Dr. Bohumil Dobos. In this panel-discussion, they each gave us their thoughts on the present and future of the international order in the wake of the war in Ukraine. Organized by the MA in Geopolitical Studies, this year's conference topics delved on the Power Shifts on the Contemporary World. If you want to know more about the conference and the MA in Geopolitics follow them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/geopoliticalstudiesinPrague Or see more info about the masters on their website: https://fsv.cuni.cz/en/admissions/masters-degrees/geopolitical-studies-gps?utm_source=Keystone&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=Keystone_readmore Our guests: Peter Eltsov - National Defense University, USA Eeben Barlow - Executive Outcomes, South Africa on Twitter: @EebenB Bohumil Dobos - Charles University, Czech Republic on Twitter: @BohumilDobos Follow as on every platform! Instagram: @thegeopoliticalpickle Twitter: @thegeopickle Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGeoPickle The Geopolitical Pickle jar included: Juan Francisco Muñoz - @jacom95JF : Co-host and research Alex Perry - @yrrepxxela : Co-host and research Luca Spiller - @ben_spill Disclaimer: All views of the interviewees are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of this channel. Music: Intro: Catch it by Coma-Media from Pixabay Outro: Brazilian by SergeQuadrado from Pixabay

Brazil is a massive country of over 200 million people and 8.5 million km2, the 5th largest in the world. Because of it's massive size and richness, it is the major international player in South America by far, and has historically had an important position in the international arena. Today, we´re joined by Felipe Simoni from Espetinho Internacional. We dive into the latest electoral results in Brazil, where the leftist candidate and Former President Lula da Silva defeated by a narrow margin President Bolsonaro from the far-right. We discuss the current political situation, the reasons behind the result, the socioeconomic composition of the country, its foreign policy and more... If you want to know more about our guest, you can follow him at: Felipe Simoni @flipsimoni Or subscribe to his Podcast (Portugese) at https://linktr.ee/espetinhointernacional As always get in touch with us at: https://linktr.ee/thegeopoliticalpickle The Geopolitical Pickle jar included: Juan Francisco Muñoz - @jacom95JF : Host and research Alex Perry - @yrrepxxela : Producer Federico Caprari - @federicocaprari : Security consultant Lía Rodríguez - @liarguezz : Research and fact-checking Paula Gómez - @pauulagomz : Research and fact-checking

The war in Ukraine has signified a massive shift in European defence thinking as well as the arms industry required to defend the EU and NATO in the eventuality of a war on the continent. In this episode we interview Tomáš Kopečný, Deputy Minister for Defence Industrial Cooperation, Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic. He gives us insights on the military aid given to Ukraine from the West in the wake of the Russian invasion and how it has developed. We also touched upon the use of drones in modern warfare, the global position of the arms industry and potential spill-overs that the war in Ukraine may have. Lastly, as always, we asked him about his career development, in the hoped that it might inspire you to follow your own. Recorded 02/11/2022 Follow as on every platform! Instagram: @thegeopoliticalpickle Twitter: @thegeopickle Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGeoPickle Disclaimer: All views of the interviewees are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of this channel. The Geopolitical Pickle jar included: Ronan Wordsworth - @ronanwords : Co-host and research Juan Francisco Muñoz - @jacom95JF : Co-host and research

After the elections in Italy and Sweden, many media outlets and people in general have raised their concerns about the far-right gaining quotas of power in the EU. Some analysts are seeing these and other electoral results, as well as certain public speeches all over the EU, as a far-right wave that might threaten the current established system. Today we debate about this, and we pose several questions: What is Populism? What characterizes the far-right in the EU? Are these parties a homogenous force? And finally, is there actually a far-right wave in Europe? As always get in touch at: https://linktr.ee/thegeopoliticalpickle

We are back with Hussein Solomon, Head of the Department of Political Sciences of the University of the Free State and author of numerous books and articles on Political Islam and jihadist groups. This is part two of our conversation, so we recommend you listen to part one before this one. We move the focus onto the role Political Islam in the current power struggle for the Middle East, as well as the impact of this power struggle in Africa and beyond. The conversation isn't just about politics, as Prof. Solomon shares with us his career development and leaves us with some nice advice for the future. Recorded 19/09/2022 Follow as on every platform! Instagram: @thegeopoliticalpickle Twitter: @thegeopickle Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGeoPickle The Geopolitical Pickle jar included: Ronan Wordsworth - @ronanwords : Co-host and research Juan Francisco Muñoz - @jacom95JF : Co-host and research Alex Perry - @yrrepxxela : Research

We are back with Hussein Solomon, Head of the Department of Political Sciences of the University of the Free State and author of numerous books on jihadism and Political Islam. Today, we look at different jihadi groups across West Africa in Mali, Chad and Burkina Faso, as well as other groups operating in Somalia and Mozambique. Recorded 19/09/2022 Follow as on every platform! Instagram: @thegeopoliticalpickle Twitter: @thegeopickle Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGeoPickle The Geopolitical Pickle jar included: Ronan Wordsworth - @ronanwords : Co-host and research Juan Francisco Muñoz - @jacom95JF : Co-host and research Alex Perry - @yrrepxxela : Research