SaltCubeAnalytics

Thomas Karat
  • 4.4 (11)
  • POLITICS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

SaltCubeAnalytics offers a critical examination of today's most urgent geopolitical issues, featuring insights from academics, diplomats, and intelligence professionals who challenge the mainstream narrative. Hosted by a behaviour analyst, this podcast delves into complex topics such as the Israel-Palestine conflict, the war in Ukraine, and the pervasive influence of institutionalised propaganda in Western media. Our speakers aren't afraid to question the status quo, providing a deep, nuanced analysis that cuts through the noise. Join us for thought-provoking conversations that reveal the realities behind the headlines and expose the power structures shaping global events.

  1. The World After the Rules Stopped Working — Dan Perry on Trump, Gaza, and Power

    15H AGO

    The World After the Rules Stopped Working — Dan Perry on Trump, Gaza, and Power

    What happens when a veteran from the Associated Press and a behavior analyst sit down—not to agree, but to think out loud? In this wide-ranging conversation, Dan Perry, former AP chief for Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean, joins Thomas S. Karat for an unscripted, sometimes uncomfortable, but deliberately honest exchange about where the world finds itself now—not where it was supposed to be. This is not a checklist interview. It’s a collision of perspectives. Starting from the shockwaves of Trump’s return to power and the strangely insulated atmosphere at Davos, the discussion moves through deeper structural questions: who actually holds power today, which institutions still constrain it, and which ones are quietly eroding. Tariffs, courts, executive authority, and the role of so-called “middle powers” are not treated as abstract policy issues, but as signals—symptoms of a global order that no longer behaves as advertised. The conversation then turns, inevitably, to Israel–Palestine. Not in slogans, not in absolutes, but in hard contradictions. Gaza, Hamas, Israeli politics, resistance, legitimacy, and the narrowing space for political imagination are examined without pretending there are clean answers. Karat presses on how narratives are formed; Perry pushes back from long experience inside global media institutions. At times they agree. Often they don’t. That tension is the point. Running beneath everything is a shared concern—even when conclusions diverge—about democracy under pressure and journalism’s role in that struggle. What happens when media no longer mediates reality but filters it? When courts become political terrain? When public discourse collapses into moral binaries? This interview is for viewers who are less interested in being told what to think, and more interested in understanding how serious people think under conditions of uncertainty, power, and conflict. If you’re looking for comfort, this isn’t it.If you’re looking for clarity through friction—you’re in the right place. 🔔 Subscribe for long-form interviews and behavioral analysis of global politics 🧠 Thomas S. Karat Substack: https:// karat.substack.com 🧠 Dan Perry Substack: https://predictivehistory.substack.com 💬 Join the discussion in the comments (disagreement welcome, slogans not required) Send us a text Don't forget to follow or subscribe to our Podcasts on your favorite platform so you never miss an update. If you loved it, leave us a review and let us know what you think! You can follow us on YouTube, Twitter (X), TikTok, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and many more.

    1h 7m
  2. Iran discussed with an Associate Professor , a Behaviour Analyst and a Spy

    2D AGO

    Iran discussed with an Associate Professor , a Behaviour Analyst and a Spy

    What does it look like when a war is being pre-sold—not with one big lie, but with hundreds of small linguistic nudges? In this live conversation, we walk you through a headline-level pattern based on ~230+ articles across multiple countries: Iran is framed as the actor (“threatens,” “refuses,” “days are numbered”), while the U.S. build-up is framed as reaction (“prepares,” “weighs options,” “responds”).  If most people only skim headlines, the headline becomes the policy environment. From there, the discussion widens into something darker: the idea that “information space management” isn’t a metaphor anymore—especially with NATO explicitly discussing “cognitive” domains as a theater of competition. Then Reiner Rupp (Reiner Rupp)—a former insider who knew how alliances message and posture—adds the military-strategic layer: deterrence vs provocation, escalation risk, and why “baiting the first shot” is an old playbook that keeps resurfacing in new packaging. This isn’t a “what to think” episode. It’s a “watch how your attention is steered” episode—where the tempo, the repetition, the missing voices, and the shifting justifications are treated as the real story. Further Readings: 📌 Manufacturing consent before the bombs drop: https://karat.substack.com/p/manufacturing-consent-before-the 🧠 NATO cognitive warfare: https://karat.substack.com/p/cognitive-warfare Time stamps: 00:00 — The “headline dataset” move: why headlines are the battleground, not the footnotes 07:40 — Defensive U.S. / aggressive Iran framing: how verbs do geopolitics for you 18:25 — The urgency drumbeat: “time is running out” as a perception hack 32:10 — IRGC designation + rapid synchronization: when policy steps and media tempo converge 46:30 — Hard constraints behind the rhetoric: missile-defense depletion, procurement limits, and escalation math Send us a text Don't forget to follow or subscribe to our Podcasts on your favorite platform so you never miss an update. If you loved it, leave us a review and let us know what you think! You can follow us on YouTube, Twitter (X), TikTok, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and many more.

    1h 4m
  3. We’re Entering a New Dark Age: Censorship at Home, Lawlessness Abroad, US Ambassador Chas Freeman

    JAN 21

    We’re Entering a New Dark Age: Censorship at Home, Lawlessness Abroad, US Ambassador Chas Freeman

    We’re entering a new dark age — and the signs are everywhere.Not just in foreign policy, where international law is treated like a PR costume… but at home, where speech is increasingly policed, dissent is stigmatized, and criticism is quietly rebranded as “hate.” In this interview, former U.S. diplomat Chas Freeman argues we’re watching an epochal shift: the end of the post-war promise that conflict would be restrained by rules, institutions, and law. Instead, power is reverting to something older and uglier — coercion, intimidation, and what Freeman calls a kind of “gangster logic.” And here’s the deeper point: lawlessness abroad doesn’t stay abroad.When states normalize impunity overseas, it boomerangs back into domestic politics — as censorship, surveillance, and control — always framed as “security,” “stability,” or “values.” 🧠 In this conversation we explore: why the “rules-based order” is collapsing in real time how international law is being replaced by raw leverage what this means for Europe, NATO, and strategic dependency why “hate speech” narratives are increasingly used to silence legitimate criticism how Western democracies drift toward managed speech and managed reality If you’re tired of propaganda, moral theater, and mainstream narratives that don’t survive basic scrutiny — this interview is for you. 📌 Chapters are included below 🔔 Join me on Substack: https://karat.substack.com 🔔 Join me on Medium for Euro centric Analysis: https://medium.com/@thomas.s.karat 💬 Comment: Do you feel the “dark age” is already here — or still coming? Time Stamps: 00:00 Intro 00:09:35 — The Shooting: What Really Happened (Narrative vs Reality) 00:29:29 — “Mafia Don” Geopolitics (Threats, Leverage, Power Politics) 00:40:07 — Ukraine as the Battleground (Spheres of Influence, NATO Logic) 01:09:19 — Propaganda, History & Political Theatre (Hitler, Cinema, Mass Psychology) Send us a text Don't forget to follow or subscribe to our Podcasts on your favorite platform so you never miss an update. If you loved it, leave us a review and let us know what you think! You can follow us on YouTube, Twitter (X), TikTok, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and many more.

    1h 11m
  4. Tehran in Revolt: Inside Iran’s 2026 Uprising and Crackdown. With Oxford Scholar Yassamine Mather

    JAN 21

    Tehran in Revolt: Inside Iran’s 2026 Uprising and Crackdown. With Oxford Scholar Yassamine Mather

    🇮🇷 Iran is spiraling out of control again — and the West is already circling. In this interview, I’m joined by Yassamine Mather — an Oxford scholar and razor-sharp political analyst — to break down the new wave of unrest across Iran, what’s driving it, and why Trump may be preparing the ground for “absolute change” in 2026.  We don’t just talk about protests. We talk about power, propaganda, and the uncomfortable possibility that some actors are trying to engineer the outcome — using everything from sanctions and currency warfare to fake reels amplified by mainstream media. 🎯 In this conversation: Why Trump may see Iran as the next domino The hidden war: sanctions, economic collapse & corruption How the exchange-rate system enriched elites and crushed ordinary Iranians Internet shutdowns, Starlink leaks, and the fog of information war Why “fake news” can become real political reality The Mossad/Pahlavi question — and why protesters reject both Shah and Rahbar The bigger frame: Iran isn’t the target — China is ⚠️ Key question: Is this uprising organic, hijacked, or already being shaped into a controlled “transition”? 📌 More from me Substack: https://karat.substack.com Medium: https://medium.com/@thomas.s.karat 👉 If you want weekly updates that follow the questions to wherever they’re not supposed to go, you’ll find them there. Send us a text Don't forget to follow or subscribe to our Podcasts on your favorite platform so you never miss an update. If you loved it, leave us a review and let us know what you think! You can follow us on YouTube, Twitter (X), TikTok, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and many more.

    1h 2m
  5. How Western Media Sells War, with Patrick Henningsen

    JAN 20

    How Western Media Sells War, with Patrick Henningsen

    “How Western Media Sells War” is a deep-dive conversation with journalist and broadcaster Patrick Henningsen, founder of 21st Century Wire, on how conflict is packaged, branded, and sold to the public through news and entertainment. We look at: *   How language, imagery, and repetition turn military campaigns into “humanitarian interventions” or “defensive actions”. *   The role of think tanks, PR firms, and political elites in feeding ready‑made narratives into Western newsrooms. *   Why dissenting voices are marginalised, smeared, or algorithmically buried when war agendas are on the table. If this interview opens up more questions, don’t stop here. For global geopolitics and narrative warfare, you can find my long-form pieces on Substack; for a Europe-first, Eurocentric take on power, autonomy, and identity, my essays are on Medium. My Substack: https://karat.substack.com My Medium: https://medium.com/@thomas.s.karat Further Links: Patrick Baab: https://youtu.be/AJZMb8KxGn4 Suzie Dawson: https://youtu.be/Cza4LHImyQM Daniele Ganser: https://youtu.be/DoTUFeKZB5A Erik Andersson: https://youtu.be/91WoRwDsnc0 Article on Libertarian Institute: https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/europe-is-americas-sacrifice/ Your iPhone is spying on you: https://karat.substack.com/p/your-iphones-new-ai-is-spying-on Time Stamps: 00:00 Intro 02:10 Who is Patrick 03:10 Silencing critical voices 13:00 The consensus for war with Russia 26:45 Total transformation of the energy marked 37:35 How Anglo-American interests collide with Europe 48:10 Trump National Security Strategy 01:13:40 NATO Bombs on West Europe Send us a text Don't forget to follow or subscribe to our Podcasts on your favorite platform so you never miss an update. If you loved it, leave us a review and let us know what you think! You can follow us on YouTube, Twitter (X), TikTok, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and many more.

    1h 31m
  6. How Elites Rewrite History to Control the Present; with Guido Preparata

    JAN 8

    How Elites Rewrite History to Control the Present; with Guido Preparata

    🔥 History is never just about the past — it’s a battlefield for the present. In this interview, we explore how elites rewrite historical narratives to manufacture legitimacy, shape public memory, and consolidate political power. From the self-mythology of Ramesses II to the propaganda logic captured by George Orwell’s warning — “Who controls the past controls the future” — we examine how history becomes a strategic instrument rather than a neutral record. We also look at the work of Guido Preparata, whose investigations into the First and Second World Wars challenge the “official story” and expose how finance, strategy, and elite interests were woven into narratives later presented as moral inevitability. What happens when memory itself is engineered? What truths disappear when history becomes a tool of governance? If you’re interested in propaganda, historical mythmaking, power, and the politics of collective memory, this conversation will push you to question how much of the past we truly know — and how much of it has been curated for us. 👉 Watch the interview — and ask yourself: Who is writing history, and why? Send us a text Don't forget to follow or subscribe to our Podcasts on your favorite platform so you never miss an update. If you loved it, leave us a review and let us know what you think! You can follow us on YouTube, Twitter (X), TikTok, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and many more.

    1h 25m
  7. “Never Again” — Unless Israel does it? Son Of Holocaust Survivor Speaks Out, With Mark Etkind

    12/26/2025

    “Never Again” — Unless Israel does it? Son Of Holocaust Survivor Speaks Out, With Mark Etkind

    “Never Again” is repeated every year. Rarely is it tested. In this interview, I speak with Mark Etkind, the son of a Holocaust survivor who endured the Łódź Ghetto and multiple concentration camps, including Buchenwald. Mark is also a leading voice among Holocaust survivors’ descendants who have spoken out against the destruction of Gaza — a position that has made him deeply controversial within parts of the Jewish community and the political mainstream. Mark challenges the idea that Holocaust remembrance can be safely sealed off from the present. He argues that memory without consequence becomes ritual, and ritual without moral risk becomes cover. When institutions commemorate the Holocaust while remaining silent on Gaza, he sees not neutrality, but evasion. We talk about why drawing historical parallels provokes such intense backlash, where the line between remembrance and politicisation is really drawn, and why “Never Again” loses meaning when it applies only to the past — or only to some victims, and not others. This is not a comfortable conversation. It is not meant to be. But if Holocaust memory is to mean more than ceremony, then voices like Mark Etkind’s demand to be heard. 📌 Full context, background analysis, and related writing available on my Substack.📌  https://substack.com/@thomaskarat Time Stamps: 00:00 Intro 05:50 Who is Mark 16:50 Integrating Survivors 34:30 Changing a World View 46:20 The Greater Israel 01:12:55 Jeremy Corbyn Send us a text Don't forget to follow or subscribe to our Podcasts on your favorite platform so you never miss an update. If you loved it, leave us a review and let us know what you think! You can follow us on YouTube, Twitter (X), TikTok, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and many more.

    1h 40m
  8. Iran, Gaza, and the West: Yassamine Mather on the Politics Nobody Dares to Discuss

    12/18/2025

    Iran, Gaza, and the West: Yassamine Mather on the Politics Nobody Dares to Discuss

    🔥 Oxford Academic and Iranian Scholar Yassamine Mather takes us deep into the political, historical, and personal terrain behind today’s Iran. And she does it with a clarity and honesty that’s almost disarming. T:his was one of the most surprising and revealing conversations I’ve recorded this year. At one point she casually mentions volunteering for a covert mission in Iran—setting up an underground, anti-government radio station for the fedayeen in the mountains between Tehran and Kurdistan. She tells it as if it were nothing. It’s not nothing. It’s the kind of story that stops you in your tracks. 🎓 Based at the University of Oxford, Yassamine brings decades of political analysis, activism, and academic work into the room: • the inner logic of the Iranian state• the failures and fractures of the opposition • the West’s selective outrage• the left’s internal contradictions • why revolutions rarely deliver what people expect • and how exile shapes a political mind And beyond the politics, this conversation shows you the person: sharp, thoughtful, funny, and carrying more history than she lets on. We even walked through Oxford afterwards—her university access opening doors to places you almost never get to see. It adds something intimate to the whole encounter. 🔔 If you want more interviews like this, make sure to subscribe and hit the bell—though, given the shadow-banning on this channel, I can’t promise YouTube will notify you. Still, it helps. 📝 Also: I just released my analysis of Trump’s National Security Strategy (Nov 2025) on Substack.It’s… something you have to read to believe. A genuine eye-opener.→ https://karat.substack.com Further Links: US Ambassador Chas Freeman: https://youtu.be/SiMUmasmulE Aarnon Milchan, Hollywood billionaire and Super Spy: https://youtu.be/fjy55BS6Y5k Noam Chomsky: https://youtu.be/vNCcbrqM4ks Inside Trump’s 2025 Blueprint for War with China: https://karat.substack.com/p/inside-trumps-2025-blueprint-for?r=1fs9b Time Stamps: 00:00 Intro 03:20 Who is Yassamine Mather 10:00 Shah Reza Pahlavi 15:50 The consequences of taking out Mosaddegh 28:15 The Iraq Iran war 36:10 Jimmy Carters Hostage crisis 39:30 Regime change 41:55 Taking out Iran Proxies 49:45 Killing the negotiators 54:15 Is Irans nuclear project dead 01:09:45 What comes after the mullahs 01:18:45 Can BRICS protect Iran 01:32:55 Can Iran hurt Israel 01:39:20 A radio station in the mountains Send us a text Don't forget to follow or subscribe to our Podcasts on your favorite platform so you never miss an update. If you loved it, leave us a review and let us know what you think! You can follow us on YouTube, Twitter (X), TikTok, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and many more.

    1h 50m
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Ratings & Reviews

4.4
out of 5
11 Ratings

About

SaltCubeAnalytics offers a critical examination of today's most urgent geopolitical issues, featuring insights from academics, diplomats, and intelligence professionals who challenge the mainstream narrative. Hosted by a behaviour analyst, this podcast delves into complex topics such as the Israel-Palestine conflict, the war in Ukraine, and the pervasive influence of institutionalised propaganda in Western media. Our speakers aren't afraid to question the status quo, providing a deep, nuanced analysis that cuts through the noise. Join us for thought-provoking conversations that reveal the realities behind the headlines and expose the power structures shaping global events.

Information

  • Creator
    Thomas Karat
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    124
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 SaltCubeAnalytics
  • Show Website
    SaltCubeAnalytics

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