Bashar al-Assad
Syrian convicted fugitive and former President of Syria from 2000 to 2024
Named in 13 episodes, from 5 January 2025 to 28 August 2026: Peter Zeihan 5 · Paul J. Warburg 8. Wikidata
2026 · 7 episodes
2025 · 6 episodes
August 2026 · 1
3:06
Israel and Turkey Call Dibs on Syria
Peter Zeihan
Syria is returning to a no man's land because globalization has ended. Israel and Turkey will struggle over the region without necessarily clashing militarily.
July 2026 · 1
Russia is Threatening to “Use the Nukes” Again (lol)
Paul J. Warburg
Russia's nuclear threats are fear tactics designed to manipulate Western behavior rather than genuine intentions to use them. The incentive structure in Russia actually prevents a nuclear strike, making the threats a manipulation of fear.
June 2026 · 1
Something BIG is Brewing in Chechnya Right Now
Paul J. Warburg
Russia is facing a massive potential crisis in Chechnya, but it's not just Chechnya, let me remind you. This crisis could easily expand to the North Caucasus, to several different republics, just as it did after the First Chechen War.
March 2026 · 1
Something INSANE is Happening in Moscow Right Now
Paul J. Warburg
The need to control information and surround yourself with an abnormal amount of security, an abnormal amount of police and soldiers, is not a sign of strength. It's actually a sign of weakness.
January 2026 · 3
Russia is Absolutely PANICKING About Venezuela Right Now
Paul J. Warburg
The US takeover of Venezuela is devastating to Russia. The world is moving more towards freedom in places that a lot of people took for granted would never be free again.
The Iran Protests are Becoming Truly Insane
Paul J. Warburg
Autocratic regimes fall when they must use their power to repress people, weakening themselves until the people have nothing left to lose. The Iranian regime will almost certainly collapse within a lifetime.
Syria Turns Violent...Again
Peter Zeihan
The Syrian desert is inherently unstable, and without strong state control or deep US intervention, ISIS will grow stronger. Expect continued chaos in Syria unless an outside power gets deeply involved.
October 2025 · 2
Putin's Favorite Puppet State is About to Collapse
Paul J. Warburg
Dictators destroying themselves in their quest to hold on to power. The very mechanisms that Putin and Lukashenko used to hold on to their power ultimately led to their demise.
10:50
The Most Violent Chapter of Israel and Palestine
Peter Zeihan
The current extreme violence is driven by a unique convergence of strategic emptiness, political incentives for war, and a broken information system. There is literally no place for the Gazans to go if they were to be relocated, so extreme violence will continue.
+3
September 2025 · 1
Syria and the Return of the March
Peter Zeihan
Syria is returning to being a march. We will see more of the world looking like Syria.
June 2025 · 1
What's Up with the Middle East: Syrian Dysfunction
Peter Zeihan
Syria will not form a stable government because external powers prefer chaos over consolidation. Anarchy is the best outcome Syria will achieve.
January 2025 · 2
Want to know how the world REALLY works? Start with these 5 books.
Paul J. Warburg
Reading books informs worldview and connects ideas. The speaker recommends five specific books to understand global dynamics.
Russia’s Pipeline Problem is Worse Than You Think
Paul J. Warburg
Russia lost its leverage over Moldova and Transnistria when it cut off gas supplies. The West is winning in every important way, even if that victory isn't immediately apparent.
Drawing: photo khamenei.ir, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, redrawn in our house style.