The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus

Marcel Dirsus
  • 5.0 (1)
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Hey, it’s Marcel Dirsus. I’m a political scientist and this is The Next Best, my podcast. The world is complex, dangerous and confusing. To make sense of it all, I talk to authors, historians, diplomats and spies. Together, we’re going to learn about nuclear weapons, sanctions, targeted killings and much more. Let’s go. Have a question? Email at: thenextbestpodcast@gmail.com

  1. 2d ago

    #22 Thomas Juneau: How the Houthis Could Crash the Global Economy

    The Houthis aren't Iran's puppet. That's what makes them so dangerous. They can shut down two of the world's most critical chokepoints simultaneously — and there's very little the West can do about it.In this episode of The Next Best, Marcel Dirsus sits down with Thomas Juneau, professor at the University of Ottawa and one of the world's leading experts on Middle Eastern security, to unpack the Houthis, Iran, and the future of the Red Sea.

    46 min

  2. 6d ago

    #21 Sergey Radchenko: How Russia Weaponized Energy (Even Before Putin)

    Everyone thinks Putin perfected the energy weapon. But Russia has been using oil and gas as a political bludgeon for over 70 years — and it didn't start with him. Historian Sergey Radchenko traces the full arc of Russian energy coercion, from Stalin's colonial resource extraction in Eastern Europe to the Nord Stream bets that reshaped modern Europe — and makes the provocative case that the weapon has been failing for decades. How does a country turn oil and gas into a political weapon — and why has it kept backfiring? In this episode, I sit down with historian Sergey Radchenko, one of the world's leading experts on Soviet and post-Soviet diplomacy, to trace Russia's use of energy as an instrument of political power. The story begins not with the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but with Stalin treating Eastern Europe as a colonial resource colony in the late 1940s. It runs through Khrushchev's subsidized-energy trap, the 1973 oil shock, the Cold War pipeline battles, Yeltsin's gas wars with Ukraine, and Merkel's fateful Nord Stream bet. Radchenko makes a provocative case: Russia's energy weapon has been failing for decades — and may now be creating a dependence that runs in the opposite direction.

    51 min

  3. May 15

    #20 Julia Ebner: Inside the Minds of Extremists

    In this live episode recorded in Berlin, Marcel Dirsus sits down with researcher and author Julia Ebner to explore the psychology of extremism, conspiracy theories, and online radicalization. From QAnon and neo-Nazi networks to AI-driven propaganda and the gamification of hate, they unpack how fringe movements recruit followers, spread across borders, and increasingly shape mainstream politics. Julia shares insights from years spent researching extremist communities — including undercover investigations into online hate groups and radical movements — and explains why ordinary people can become drawn into dangerous ideologies. The conversation also explores: why conspiracy theories are emotionally powerful,how social media amplifies extremism,what separates trolls from violent extremists,and why modern radicalization is becoming harder to contain. Julia Ebner is the author of Going Dark, Going Mainstream, and The Rage. She is a researcher at the University of Oxford and works on extremism, terrorism, conspiracy myths, and the impact of emerging technologies on democracy. The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus offers deep dives into geopolitics and international relations. We provide serious political commentary on foreign policy challenges, modern warfare, and global security.

    30 min

  4. May 3

    #19 Eyck Freymann: China Doesn't Need to Invade Taiwan. It Can Just Cut it Off

    China doesn't need to invade Taiwan to win.A blockade could bring the global economy to its knees — without firing a single shot. In this episode of The Next Best, political scientist Marcel Dirsus sits down with Hoover Fellow Eyck Freymann to map out the most dangerous flashpoint in global politics: the China–Taiwan conflict. From a full-scale Taiwan invasion to a blockade strategy to gray zone pressure campaigns, they break down every realistic scenario — and ask the harder question: what would actually deter Xi Jinping?

    37 min

  5. Apr 27

    #18 James Ker-Lindsay: The Sovereign State is a Recent Invention. Russia is Rewriting the Rules

    Russia didn't just invade Ukraine. It's trying to break the rules of the international system.In this episode, I sit down with James Ker-Lindsay — one of the world's leading authorities on secession and self-determination — to trace exactly how the sovereign state was built, why the rules against conquest exist, and how Russia is now dismantling them one fake referendum at a time. About James Ker-Lindsay:James Ker-Lindsay is one of the world's foremost experts on secession, self-determination, and state recognition. He has advised governments and international organizations on questions of statehood and has authored more than a dozen books on conflict and international relations.

    43 min

  6. Apr 22

    #17 Franz-Stefan Gady: Is Russia Actually Winning? Frontline Reality

    Russia says it's winning. The front line tells a different story. Military analyst Franz-Stefan Gady just returned from Ukraine — here's what he actually saw. Russia is betting on spring advances in the Donbas. Ukrainian soldiers say they'll stay "till hell freezes over." So who's right — and does it even matter if nobody has a theory of victory?

    39 min

  7. Apr 14

    #16 Rory Truex: Xi Jinping is the Dictator the West Doesn’t Get

    Xi Jinping may be the most powerful man in the world. But that power may also be a trap he can't escape.In this episode of The Next Best, Marcel Dirsus sits down with Rory Truex — Princeton professor and leading expert on Chinese politics — to unpack how Xi Jinping consolidated control over China's political system, why his grip on power may have made China more fragile, and what happens to the world if he suddenly disappears.

    34 min

  8. Apr 10

    #15 Trump Killed NATO

    NATO isn't just weakening. It's basically dead — and that's not a headline. It's an analysis.In this episode, I break down exactly what killed the alliance: Donald Trump's deep, structural hostility to multilateral commitments, decades of European governments free-riding on American security guarantees, and a geopolitical reality that was already pulling U.S. attention toward China long before Trump returned to the White House.But here's what most people miss: NATO was never an automatic defense guarantee. It always ran on trust — on Putin believing the United States would risk its own cities to defend a European one. That belief is now gone. And without it, deterrence collapses. I also explain why this probably isn't just a four-year problem. The Republican Party has changed. Europe has lost trust in the United States. And America's strategic focus on China isn't going away. The result: Europe will need to plan its own security — and pay for it — without counting on Washington.That's bad for Europe. But it's also bad for America.

    13 min
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Hey, it’s Marcel Dirsus. I’m a political scientist and this is The Next Best, my podcast. The world is complex, dangerous and confusing. To make sense of it all, I talk to authors, historians, diplomats and spies. Together, we’re going to learn about nuclear weapons, sanctions, targeted killings and much more. Let’s go. Have a question? Email at: thenextbestpodcast@gmail.com

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