The Geopolitics & Power Podcast

Curious Worldview Production
  • 4.6 (19)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Substack connected to the podcast - curiousworldviewpod.substack.com/subscribe Episodes published on this feed appear originally on - A Curious Worldview Podcast https://open.spotify.com/show/61wcpA8fkOQCAGrOfHgkig?si=ZiPK9FlNSmOfsxUEz7jmBg - if you like this podcast - than consider jumping over to - A Curious Worldview - on any platform there are podcasts (or link to Spotify above). It is my primary show... episodes here are snippets of full length episodes than appear there, and the thematic goes well beyond geopolitics.

  1. FEB 23

    Eric Beecher| Media Moguls & Those Who Killed The News

    The Men Who Killed The News (Book) My Substack (Subscribe) Podcast Starter Packs Offshore Finance/Kleptocracy & Money LaunderingGeopolitics/Economics/Economic DevelopmentExplorers & AdventurersInvestigative Journalists--- Eric Beecher is a veteran journalist, editor and entrepreneur whose experienced first hand the dramatic evolution of the previous 40 years of media.  From broadsheet’s to TV to the internet to facebook, podcasts, now AI. Eric has been across all these, both an employee and employer as the business models were repeatedly shaken and recast. And he asks, what is the cumulative damage when owners of journalism place profits and power over civic responsibility and decency. That book is called, ‘The Men Who Killed The News’ and series a history of media moguldom, the perennial story of power and influence chipping away ever so gradually, the role good journalism esteems in helping us make sense of the world. It’s not nostalgia for the good old days, but rather an attempt to understand how we got here, and whether there is anything that can be done about it.Eric was formerly the youngest editor at the Sydney Morning Herald before being recruited by Murdoch himself to run at the time, his latest media acquisition, before resigning sighting ethical differences. Eric runs today alongside his colleagues, Crikey, The Mandarin and SmartCompany. Eric is a major architect of modern Australian independent media, and it is my pleasure to welcome him to the podcast.

    53 min

  2. FEB 16

    Phil Elwood | 'All The Worst Humans' Confessions of a Public Relations Operative

    All The Worst Humans - Phil ElwoodMy Substack (Subscribe)Podcast Starter Packs Offshore Finance/Kleptocracy & Money LaunderingGeopolitics/Economics/Economic DevelopmentExplorers & AdventurersInvestigative Journalists“I deserved whatever the opposite of a Pulitzer is.” Phil Elwood is the author of All the Worst Humans, a confessional memoir from the dubious world of public relations. As a PR operative. He helped Qatar win the 2022 World Cup. He spun the release of the Lockerbie bomber into a “positive headline.” Had the Gaddafi family, the Assad regime and plenty more among his clients.  Phil speaks with humility and incredible clarity about what he learned from that world. The moral grey zones, the craft behind the spin, and how media manipulation really works in practice. It’s a rare, honest window into an industry that prefers the shadows. How propaganda and PR actually get executed behind closed doorsThe mechanics of “first ink,” astroturfing, and reputation launderingThe moral compromises behind Qatar’s 2022 World Cup bidSportswashing, Liv Golf, and the new global game of influenceWhether the media is more easily manipulated than ever?Whether AI and independent creators can break the old PR machinery

    58 min

  3. FEB 9

    Nicolas Niarchos | Congo, Cobalt & China... The Elements Of Power

    The Elements of Power - Nicolas NiarchosMy Substack (Subscribe)Previous guests on the podcast similar to this!Nicolas Niarchos First Appearance On The PodTim Butcher - Blood River (CLASSIC EP)Adam Hochschild - King Leopold's GhostJon Lee Anderson - New Yorker Staff Writer, A Life Of AdventurePodcast Starter Packs Offshore Finance/Kleptocracy & Money LaunderingGeopolitics/Economics/Economic DevelopmentExplorers & AdventurersInvestigative Journalists--- In this episode, New Yorker journalist Nicolas Niarchos discusses the supply chains behind the clean energy transition from child miners and Chinese-owned mega-mines to the coming global scramble for critical minerals. I’ve been eagerly anticipating his new book, and I reckon it is tailor made for this podcast. It’s the history of cobalt it’s extraction and it’s applications and shows how a single mineral has reshaped geopolitics, powered the rise of China’s technological superiority, and further locked millions of Congolese into one of the most brutal extraction economies on earth.This is a story that begins with King Leopold the second the original plunder of the Congo but then runs through Cold War dictatorships and kleptocracy, and ends with Apple, Tesla, BYD, and the race to dominate the future of energy.It’s Nic’s second appearance on this podcast on a similar subject, therefore we avoided to go-over all the same ground as last time. The first episode was about his New Yorker piece on artisanal mining in the Congo, his arrest in the Congo and the foundations for his worldview in covering this issue.Today we go into his new book. Inside the mines of Katanga, inside the rise of China’s battery empire, inside the corruption that still governs Congo’s political system, and inside the coming resource wars that will define the next half-century. Eighty percent of the world’s cobalt now comes from the Congo.Most of it is controlled by Chinese companies.As much as 20% of it is still dug out of the ground by hand.Kinshasa, Congo’s capital, is expected to have 40,000,000 people by 2050.And the world is about to need more of what’s beneath their feet than ever before.

    1h 18m

  4. FEB 2

    Jeremy Dicker | International Intrigue's 10 Geopolitical Predictions For 2026

    International Intrigue - NewsletterMy Substack (Subscribe)Previous guests on the podcast similar to this!Robert Kaplan - A World In CrisisPodcast Starter Packs Offshore Finance/Kleptocracy & Money LaunderingGeopolitics/Economics/Economic DevelopmentExplorers & AdventurersInvestigative Journalists--- Jeremy Dicker is a co-founder of International Intrigue, a daily geopolitics newsletter delivered to over 150,000 inboxes worldwide.Before entrepreneurship, Jeremy spent 14 years as an Australian diplomat, with postings in both Latin and North America, Peru, Mexico and LA specifically.International Intrigue was born during London lockdown when Jeremy and his co-founders (fellow former diplomats) jumped on the new media of newsletter’s nascent industry and decided to write to make geopolitics accessible, witty, and funnyJeremey boasts that the writers from ‘The Diplomat’ read the newsletter which is a huge flex given just how good that TV show is. Jeremy and his team published a 25 predictions for 2026 article just a few weeks ago and that’s exactly what we go through on todays episode.

    1h 37m

  5. 11/11/2025

    Vince Beiser | Copper Is The Wire Of Empire & We Don't Have Enough

    Full Episode On Curious Worldview “In the next 25 years, the world will need more copper than in all of human history.” Amendment - I said 3.2 billion kg of copper in opening question, I should have said 320 million kg.  In this episode, journalist and author Vince Beiser returns to the podcast to discuss his book Power Metal, a sobering look at the metals that make modern civilization possible — and the extraordinary cost of extracting them. We cover the story of copper — the wire of empire. Beiser reveals why humanity will need more copper in the next 25 years than we’ve used in all of history, and how that quest is reshaping geopolitics, the environment, and our very ideas of progress. From Chile’s drought-stricken Atacama mines to the e-waste yards of Lagos, Nigeria, we follow the real people and places behind our “clean-energy” future — and the dirty truths that power it. We also unpack the rise of deep-sea mining, the billionaires behind it, and the tensions between state power, corporate ambition, and the planet’s limits. Along the way we meet Robert Friedland, Gerard Barron, Dan Gertler, and a cast of characters who prove that the world still runs on digging — and that the future will too. If you liked The World in a Grain or stories about how our material world shapes our moral one, this conversation will hit home. Topics: Resource wars, clean-tech paradox, deep-sea mining, copper shortage, China’s industrial strategy, EV economics, and how to reduce demand without going backwards.Guest: Vince Beiser - author of Power Metal and The World in a GrainSubscribe to his newsletter Power Metal Substack The World In A Grain (Vince's First Appearance on The Curious Worldview in 2021) - https://open.spotify.com/episode/7rf8QskOPtzvp2g8tm3lMk?si=zxA1ycpKRViBFt5S3XTCLg Timestamps. 00:00 – Intro: Vince Beiser & Power Metal02:00 – Chile’s Copper Boom & the Atacama Water Crisis07:00 – Congo’s Cobalt, U.S. Retreat, and Copper Geography10:00 – The No-Free-Lunch of the Green Transition12:30 – Lagos E-Waste Recyclers & the Hidden Cost of Recycling19:10 – Deep-Sea Mining and the Billionaires Behind It23:00 – The UN vs Trump: Who Owns the Ocean Floor?33:00 – Robert Friedland, Steve Jobs & Congo’s Mining Empire41:00 – Corruption, Crony Capitalism & Dan Gertler47:00 – Commodity Volatility and State Intervention52:00 – China’s Industrial Patience vs Western Myopia55:00 – Rethinking Cars, Cities & Demand Reduction58:00 – The Future of Resources — and Civilization Itself

    41 min

  6. 11/04/2025

    Chris Arnade | 'Walks The World'

    Full Episode On Curious Worldview Subscribe to Chris Arnade's Substack - https://walkingtheworld.substack.com/ Who is Chris Arnade!He started as a physicist, earning a PHD from Johns Hopkins and then took to Wall St spending two decades on an elite trading desk at CitiGroup before disillusioning his well dressed allies to engage in the photography, walking and writing of the great and forgotten cities of this world. He is a best selling author, but as well… a best subscribed substacker!'Chris Arnade Walks The World' is the publications name…And in it, Chris lives up to the title. Japan, Europe, China, Australia, The Faroe Islands, Canada, the expansive US of A, Turkey, Korea, Indonesia even Uzbekistan (which gets a special mention in this podcast). Cities within all of these great nations and many more, Chris has trod and documented. His format is slow and empathetic. Chris will embark on several 20-30km journeys at his location, take photos and then report on his walk. I can’t remember how long I’ve been subscribed, although it feels like years, but the other day I woke up to an email which detailed Chris’s initial impressions of Sydney! I replied to the email right away, and just a few hours later was guiding him along the Malabar to Bondi trail. Steve and I - guiding Chris from the area I grew up to the most iconic beach in Australia. That was a special serendipity which came out of no-where and furthermore, led to this podcast today... 00:00 Introduction to Chris Arnade — physicist, Wall Street trader, turned global walker/writer.02:00 First impressions of Sydney — “child of LA and London,” with beaches, pubs, suburbs, and good living.Sydney Observations 03:40 Sydney’s trains: efficient, sprawling, but designed to avoid beaches.06:00 Sydney friendliness vs. UK cynicism — “Australians are like puppy dogs, eager to please.”09:30 Suburbs as “democratized manors,” good life for the average person, housing affordability issues.13:00 Housing supply constraints, coastline beauty, and why Sydney isn’t as bad as people think.Walking & Method 16:30 From physics & Wall Street to walking: walks as stress relief, learning, meditation.20:30 Spreadsheet brain → toy models → refining worldview through walking.22:30 Cities that defied expectations: Tashkent & Jakarta.Global Perspectives 25:30 Africa’s challenges: Nigeria & Dakar as examples of dysfunction despite resources.29:00 Australia’s weak ties with Indonesia, lack of Indonesians in Sydney, food culture, overlapping economic models.33:30 Chinese-Indonesian business dominance — parallels to Jews, Lebanese, minorities elsewhere.36:00 High-trust vs. low-trust societies: Japan as the archetype.Culture & Writing 41:30 Why he avoids fame, prefers anonymity, but respects subscribers deeply.44:00 Pressure to deliver as a Substack writer — treating it like a job.47:00 Writing inspiration, uninspired cities (Bangkok), and the challenges of always producing.53:00 Strong opinions drive trafficDignity & Underclass 55:00 “Dignity” project in the US — underclass and addiction.Personal Life 56:20 Family and frugality58:50 Why he doesn’t read other travel writersPhilosophy & Serendipity 01:04:50 Serendipity? “I don’t believe in coincidence.” 01:07:00  Country he’s most bullish on01:09:00 Next destinations

    24 min

  7. 10/20/2025

    Sam Roggeveen | 'The Echidna Strategy' - Australian Defence & Military

    Full Episode With Sam Roggeveen On The Curious Worldview Sam Roggeveen - The Echidna Strategy Curious Worldview Newsletter - https://curiousworldview.beehiiv.com/subscribe ----- Sam Roggeveen coined The 'Echidna Strategy' -  which is an on the nose metaphor for thinking about Australian Defence policy. Echidna’s are a tiny, cute little animals native to Australia. They are essentially harmless, they only eat ants and termites but despite their size and vulnerability, they have evolved this incredible defensive system. Their bodies are covered in long, spiky thorns thereby making them immune to pretty much all types of attacks that might come from animals higher in the food chain. So in a nutshell, Sam wants Australia to be more like echidna’s, a threat to nobody, but disastrous to anybody that should attack them. In the podcast we discussed Australian defense policy in a changing global landscape. How Australia can become a self-reliant power, the implications of China's military rise, and the evolving role of the United States in the region.  Sam shares his thoughts on the importance of ambition in leadership, the potential for an Australian-Indonesian alliance, and the strategic mistakes of AUKUS. Sam worked as an intelligence analyst at Australia's Office of National Assessments before he joined the Lowy institute where he now serves as the Director of the International Security Program, where he leads Australia's defence strategy, US foreign policy and Chinas military development. The opening few minutes of this are not the best audio, but after that it kicks into studio quality. This was recorded in person in Canberra, it is my pleasure to welcome Sam Roggeveen to the podcast…

    49 min

  8. 10/13/2025

    Pat McGee | Apple's Historic Transfer Of Technology, Expertise & Investment Into China

    Full Episode On A Curious Worldview Podcast Pat McGee - Apple in China Curious Worldview Newsletter - https://curiousworldview.beehiiv.com/subscribe ----- Each year, Apple sells more than 100 million unit's of it's various products, with some factories capable of producing up to 500,000 iPhones (alone) per day. This scale of quality and quantity is not replicated anywhere else in history. And it's all down to the special and unique relationship between one of the world's largest hardware companies, Apple and the worlds largest manufacturer, China.  Pat McGee wrote the book on this... 'Apple in China', and joins me for a discussion which explores the intricate relationship between Apple and China's manufacturing landscape. Tim Cook's pivotal role, the challenges of relying on China for production, and the unique conditions that have allowed China to dominate the manufacturing sector. Pat reflects on the geopolitical implications of Apple's strategy and the serendipitous nature of his writing process, culminating in a discussion about the future of industrial statecraft and the lessons learned from Apple's experience. 00:00: Pat McGee02:52: Tim Cook's Role in Apple's Success in China06:00: Apple's Reliance on China and Its Vulnerabilities12:12: The Scale of Apple's Manufacturing and Its Implications18:12: Foxcon & Terry Gou24:03: China's Manufacturing Strategy and Apple's Role29:59: China's Ambitions and Apple's Unintentional Consequences39:50: The Journey of Writing The Book44:05: Leaning Into Serendipity51:31: The Impact of Apple's Industrial Strategy58:59: Geopolitical Implications of China's Manufacturing01:08:02: Doing Jon Stewart!

    50 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.6
out of 5
19 Ratings

About

Substack connected to the podcast - curiousworldviewpod.substack.com/subscribe Episodes published on this feed appear originally on - A Curious Worldview Podcast https://open.spotify.com/show/61wcpA8fkOQCAGrOfHgkig?si=ZiPK9FlNSmOfsxUEz7jmBg - if you like this podcast - than consider jumping over to - A Curious Worldview - on any platform there are podcasts (or link to Spotify above). It is my primary show... episodes here are snippets of full length episodes than appear there, and the thematic goes well beyond geopolitics.

Information

  • Creator
    Curious Worldview Production
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    80
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Curious Worldview Production
  • Show Website
    The Geopolitics & Power Podcast

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