The 5 Signs a Nation Is Headed Toward Collapse

Episode 80 of the At The Boundary podcast, hosted by Global and National Security Institute, titled "The 5 Signs a Nation Is Headed Toward Collapse" was published on May 12, 2025 and runs 37 minutes.

May 12, 2025 ·37m · At The Boundary

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Summary

Text the ATB Team! We'd love to hear from you! In this episode, GNSI's Glenn Beckmann hosts a conversation with Dr. Chris Mason—retired U.S. Army War College professor—about a major new research project on internal conflict, now based at the University of South Florida. Dr. Mason shares insights from over 150 case studies and outlines five key factors that help predict when governments fail. He’s joined by Dr. Rob Burell, GNSI’s expert in resistance and resiliency, along with two students fr...

Episode Description

Text the ATB Team! We'd love to hear from you!

In this episode, GNSI's Glenn Beckmann hosts a conversation with Dr. Chris Mason—retired U.S. Army War College professor—about a major new research project on internal conflict, now based at the University of South Florida. Dr. Mason shares insights from over 150 case studies and outlines five key factors that help predict when governments fail.

He’s joined by Dr. Rob Burell, GNSI’s expert in resistance and resiliency, along with two students from the USF Future Strategist Program for a thoughtful discussion on what these findings mean for national security and global stability.

Topics include:
• National identity and state legitimacy
• Security vacuums and external sanctuaries
• Lessons for policymakers and military leaders
• How this predictive tool can inform real-world strategy

Plus: GNSI updates and upcoming events you won’t want to miss.

Follow the GNSI Podcast for more conversations on global security, conflict, and the future of strategy.

Links from the episode:

• Decision Briefs – Submission instructions

• “The Strategic Lessons Unlearned from Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan: Why the ANSF Will Not Hold, and the Implications for the U.S. Army in Afghanistan” book by Dr. Chris Mason

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At the Boundary from the Global and National Security Institute at the University of South Florida, features global and national security issues we’ve found to be insightful, intriguing, fascinating, maybe controversial, but overall just worth talking about.

A "boundary" is a place, either literal or figurative, where two forces exist in close proximity to each other. Sometimes that boundary is in a state of harmony. More often than not, that boundary has a bit of chaos baked in. The Global and National Security Institute will live on the boundary of security policy and technology and that's where this podcast will focus.

The mission of GNSI is to provide actionable solutions to 21st-century security challenges for decision-makers at the local, state, national and global levels. We hope you enjoy At the Boundary.

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