Geopulse: Guns - Gadgets - Genes - Germs

What does it mean when a sitting US President keeps demanding the return of a lost airbase? President Trump has repeatedly asked for the return of Bagram airbase? Can he get it back? Is the Taliban regime more durable than many assumed and what does Pakistan’s recoil mean for its future?Has the Ukraine war already rewritten the logic of modern power or is the decisive phase still ahead? And in the shadows, is China quietly building the largest war-making machine of the 21st century?In this special Geopulse episode, Shashank Joshi, the Defence Editor of The Economist, joins the host Tamim Asey for a candid, deeply insightful, off-camera conversation. Shashank is one of the most influential analysts of contemporary war and strategy. Before joining The Economist, he served as Senior Research Fellow at RUSI, taught at King’s College London’s Department of War Studies and authored major works on airpower, nuclear strategy, South Asian security and great-power rivalry. The discussion ranges across:•Bagram Air Base and Trump’s repeated desire to “get it back”.•Taliban regime durability and regional coercion dynamics.•Ukraine and the future of Europe’s security order.•Drones, EW, industrial mobilisation and the new grammar of war.•China’s military-industrial base and long-horizon ambitions.A dense, lucid, and ominously relevant conversation about the world as it is — and the conflicts it may yet descend into.Must listen.

Eighty years after Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the nuclear order stands at a crossroads. Treaties strain, rivalries deepen and emerging technologies challenge decades of strategic balance. What happens when nuclear policies fail—and the safeguards meant to prevent catastrophe start to crack?In this gripping episode of Geopulse, host Tamim Asey speaks with Dr. Stephen Herzog, one of the world’s leading experts on nuclear governance and arms control. From his work at the Middlebury Institute and Harvard’s Project on Managing the Atom to his upcoming MIT Press book Atomic Backfires: When Nuclear Policies Fail, Dr. Herzog brings unparalleled insight into the forces shaping our nuclear future.We explore:•The state of the nuclear non-proliferation regime eight decades after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.•How public opinion worldwide is shifting on nuclear weapons and arms control.•The dangerous nuclear implications of the Ukraine war.•The destabilising role of missile defence and emerging technologies.•What “policy backfires” teach us about the next nuclear crisis.A conversation for anyone who wants to understand how close we may be to the edge—and what can be done to pull back.Now available on all platforms including Apple Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music and others.

In this episode of Geopulse, host Tamim Asey sits down with Professor Edward Lemon — one of the world’s leading experts on authoritarianism, security, and geopolitics in Central Asia and beyond. Currently a Research Assistant Professor at Texas A&M’s Bush School and President of the Oxus Society, Professor Lemon has long been at the forefront of research on transnational repression, digital surveillance, and authoritarian legalism.We dive deep into his groundbreaking new book, Backlash: China’s Struggle for Influence in Central Asia, co-authored with Bradley Jardine and Niva Yau. Far from the narrative of unstoppable Chinese expansion, Backlash reveals a story of resistance, elite pushback, and geopolitical recalibration across the steppes and cities of Central Asia.Together, we explore:•How Central Asian populations are pushing back against Beijing’s digital surveillance tech rise.•The rise of digital authoritarianism and surveillance infrastructure.•Transnational repression and how regimes target dissidents abroad.•Regional security architecture shaped by China, Russia, and local regimes.•What the West gets wrong about influence and authoritarian resilience in the region.Join us for a gripping conversation on the hidden fault lines shaping one of the most strategically contested regions in the world.

In this riveting episode of Geopulse, award-winning journalist and bestselling author Yaroslav Trofimov joins host Tamim Asey for an extraordinary journey through the frontlines of history, empire and global upheaval.From the trenches of Ukraine to the deserts of the Middle East, Trofimov’s reporting has captured the pulse of collapsing regimes, rising authoritarian powers, and the unfinished wars that continue to shape our world. We dive into his latest book, Our Enemies Will Vanish, alongside his earlier works The Siege of Mecca and Faith at War, to trace the fault lines of global power and the human stories behind them.Together, they explore:•Why Putin invaded Ukraine—and what it reveals about modern imperial ambition and miscalculation.•The haunting parallels between Kabul and Kyiv, Mosul and Mariupol.•Ukraine’s transformation into a laboratory of military-tech innovation and its rise as a potential global tech superpower.•America’s retreat from global leadership and its ripple effects across regions.•The role of memory, myth, and narrative in shaping war and resistance.•How the grand arc of history is bending—toward what, and for whom?This is not just a podcast episode—it’s a geopolitical briefing from one of the most seasoned chroniclers of war, power and global power politics.Tune in to hear Yaroslav Trofimov decode the past—and warn us about what comes next.

Few voices have captured the pulse of Central Asia with the clarity, depth and integrity of Bruce Pannier. As a widely respected journalist and veteran analyst, Bruce has long served as a trusted chronicler of the region—offering grounded, unbiased insights into one of the world’s most strategically overlooked landscapes.In this special episode of Geopulse, Bruce joins host Tamim Asey to explore how the legacies of Soviet-imposed borders, forced demographics and imperial politics continue to shape the region’s modern identity and geopolitics.Together, they dive into:•The lingering impact of Stalinist border-making on regional tensions.•The rise of nationalism and post-Soviet state narratives.•The politics of water, energy, and ecological strain.•Security challenges shaped by religion, extremism, and repression.•Central Asia’s search for autonomy amid competing powers—Russia, China, the West.With rare clarity and nuance, Bruce Pannier gives voice to the region’s quiet struggles and emerging aspirations.Tune in for a rich and unfiltered conversation with the voice of Central Asia himself—on a region caught between the scars of empire and the promise of a bright future.

In this episode of Geopulse, host Tamim Asey is joined by Dr. Anna Jordanova — a rising voice on Central Asian geopolitics, Associate Fellow at the Association of International Affairs (AMO), and PhD candidate at Charles University in Prague — to unpack the region’s evolving strategic architecture in a rapidly shifting global landscape.As traditional power dynamics are disrupted by Russia’s overstretch, China’s deepening economic reach, and the cautious engagement of Western actors, Central Asian states are quietly recalibrating their foreign policies. Dr. Jordanova brings fresh insight into how domestic elites, anti-corruption campaigns, and multivector diplomacy are shaping a more agile, assertive, and regionally coordinated approach to external engagement.We explore:•How the region’s ruling elites balance internal authoritarian consolidation with external flexibility•The rise of soft regionalism and security frameworks tailored to Central Asian priorities•The limits and opportunities of multivector diplomacy in a crowded geopolitical theatre•What the growing role of Uzbekistan tells us about regional ambition and leadership•And a brief look at how Afghanistan—under Taliban rule—features in regional calculations without full reintegrationFrom strategic ambiguity to emerging regionalism, this conversation maps the shifting geometry of power, agency, and influence in the heart of Eurasia.Tune in for a wide-ranging, deeply informed conversation on how Central Asia is navigating the turbulence of global realignment — and quietly redrawing its place on the world map.

In this explosive episode of Geopulse, host Tamim Asey sits down with Michael Kugelman, former Director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center, to dissect the geopolitical powder keg that is modern South Asia.The conversation spans five strategic theatres:•India–Pakistan Rivalry: From Modi’s muscular populism to General Munir’s military reset, we explore how leadership styles, internal crises, and a fresh bout of cross-border conflict are redefining bilateral tensions.•China’s Regional Manoeuvres: How Beijing is recalibrating its power projection in South Asia—quietly shaping the India–Pakistan conflict, embedding deeper in Pakistan, and reimagining the China–India rivalry.•The Afghan Chessboard: As India cautiously re-engages with the Taliban and Pakistan recalibrates its strategy, are we seeing a new proxy competition emerge—or mutual disengagement?•South Asia’s Fragile Periphery: From Bangladesh’s political upheaval to Sri Lanka’s economic implosion, what lies ahead for the region’s smaller states amid rising authoritarianism?•Iran–Israel and the South Asian Fallout: How will this Middle Eastern confrontation impact energy corridors, diplomatic alignments, and security postures from Tehran to Delhi?Kugelman offers rare, razor-sharp insights on the forces fuelling instability—and the narrow paths to restraint.A must-listen for anyone tracking the nexus of nationalism, militarism and multipolar rivalries in Asia’s most combustible corridor.

In this episode of Geopulse, the host Tamim Asey sits down with Ambassador Ronald Neumann—former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, Algeria and Bahrain, and currently the President of the American Academy of Diplomacy—to explore some of the most urgent geopolitical questions shaping our world.Our conversation spans:🔸 The collapse of the Afghan Republic and the future of the Taliban’s Emirate🔸 Prospects for international engagement with Afghanistan without recognition🔸 Middle East realignments, the Israel–Iran confrontation, and Saudi Arabia’s transformation🔸 China’s expanding influence in the Gulf and global power politics🔸 The rise of authoritarian strongmen and the erosion of the rules-based international order🔸 U.S. foreign policy in a multipolar world and advice for the next generation of diplomatsAmbassador Neumann draws on decades of experience in diplomacy and conflict zones to offer clear-eyed analysis and reflections on how today’s challenges connect to larger global trends.Tune in for a thought-provoking discussion on war, diplomacy, power and the uncertain road ahead.

In this inaugural episode of Geopulse, host Tamim Asey sits down with legendary journalist Kathy Gannon, whose decades of fearless reporting from Afghanistan, Pakistan and across the region have shaped how the world understands war, resilience and power.From the fall of Kabul to the shifting sands of geopolitics in South Asia and the Middle East, Kathy shares hard-earned insights on conflict, authoritarianism and the evolving role of journalism in an age of disinformation and global uncertainty.Together, they explore:•Lessons from decades on the frontlines of conflict•The rise of global strongman politics and its human toll•The future of Afghanistan under Taliban rule•The role of journalists in bearing witness amid narrative warfareJoin us as we launch Geopulse—a new podcast bringing you sharp, timely conversations at the intersection of power, conflict and global affairs. A must listen!

Welcome aboard!