The Geopolitical Pickle

Geoeconomics and Europe’s energy security

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.

Iraq: 20 Years on

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’s Woes and SADC

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.

AUKUS & Nuclear Proliferation

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. 

Make Královec Czech Again

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.

2022 Year in Review - Part 2

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 Year in Review - Part 1

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

Sportswashing and the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar

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
 
 

Charles University’s Geopolitical Conference roundtable

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

A crash course on the Brazilian elections

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