E33 – Keeping up Foreign Relations

Don’t miss our newsletter! Former Australian diplomat John Fowler joins Mike Benitez to discuss what’s happening around the world through the lens of international relations. John is a repeat guest—check out episode 16 to get caught up. In this episode, we discuss China, the South China Sea, the Taiwan elections, Russia in Ukraine, and even cautiously venture a bit into how US domestic politics is muddying the waters with Ukraine aid. Should we even be involved? Why or why not? We look at both sides from a few perspectives you won’t hear anywhere else. We also make a detour into AUKUS, Japan’s rebuilding of its military, and discuss what the real superpower of the US is. John Fowler runs International Intrigue, a daily newsletter written by a team of former diplomats (link below!). It’s packed with great, easy-to-consume content and helps you keep a pulse on what’s happening in the world—and why it matters. For those interested in #military #technology #strategy #diplomacy #china #asia #security #government #nationalsecurity #defense #nationaldefense #russia #ukraine ---- Links • Sign up for our ⁠amazing newsletter⁠! • Support us on ⁠Patreon⁠! • Mike Benitez (LinkedIn) • John Fowler (X) • International Intrigue newsletter • Dickerpicss (IG) ---- Follow us on... • ⁠Instagram⁠ • ⁠Facebook⁠ • ⁠X (Twitter)⁠ • ⁠LinkedIn⁠ • ⁠Website⁠ ---- Show Notes (01:04) Intro (05:06) China’s economic shifts (08:14) China’s real estate crisis (11:48) Taiwan elections (18:22) South China Sea (19:40) the “9-dash line” (21:30) the Second Thomas Shoal (31:08) coalitions and consensus (34:37) Russia in Ukraine (36:55) Ukraine aid in Congress (41:02) the real superpower of the US (45:06) the risk of hedging (46:21) AUKUS, Japan, and China (53:54) good for Russia, good for China (55:11) China using history as a weapon (58:02) outro