SHOW1-12-26 "THE MAKING OF THE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW""The Making of the John Batchelor Show" is a live-streaming "beta" experiment launched by John Batchelor on Monday, January 12, 2026. The primary objective of this specific program is to demonstrate "total transparency" by allowing the audience to see the behind-the-scenes process and technical "bumps" involved in producing the show. GLOBAL CHAOS AND THE EROSION OF STABILITY Colleagues Bill Roggio and Husain Haqqani. The guests discuss worldwide instability, arguing that the US has abandoned its traditional role in maintaining global order. They examine conflicts in Iran, Syria, and Venezuela, suggesting US actions are often driven by whims rather than strategic planning, leading to a state of heightened chaos. NUMBER 1 FICTIONS IN SYRIA AND THE RISKS OF INTERVENTION Colleagues Bill Roggio and Husain Haqqani. The discussion focuses on the Syrian conflict, criticizing the US for maintaining "fictions" about local actors and security forces. Haqqani warns against military intervention in Iran, citing past failures like Vietnam and Iraq, noting that military force cannot solve misunderstood political problems. NUMBER 2 CHINA'S GREAT HEIST OF AMERICAN SECRETS Colleagues David Shedd and Bill Roggio. David Sheddoutlines China's extensive cyber espionage campaigns, including "Salt Typhoon," which successfully hacked US Congressional committees. These operations aim to steal sensitive communications and embed sabotage tools within USinfrastructure, highlighting a critical failure in American defensive preparedness. NUMBER 3 REGIME CHANGE AND SHIFTING POWER IN THE AMERICAS Colleagues David Shedd and Bill Roggio. Shedd details the removal of Nicolas Maduro and a regional shift toward center-right governments. This transition aims to end Russian and Chinese influence in the Western Hemisphere. Furthermore, the US is demanding stricter security cooperation from Mexico to dismantle powerful drug cartels. NUMBER 4 IRANIAN PROTESTS AND THE COLLAPSE OF REGIME CONTROL Colleague Malcolm Hoenlein. Protests across Iran have turned deadly, with reports of hundreds killed by live fire and hospitals refusing wounded demonstrators. Malcolm Hoenlein highlights a communication blackout and a collapsing economy where the currency has plummeted. A new minority coalition of Baluchis and Kurds is now supporting rebellion. NUMBER 5 THE SHIFTING BALANCE OF FEAR IN IRAN Colleague Malcolm Hoenlein. As the regime faces potential implosion, discussions involve a return of the Shah's son as a symbolic figurehead, though no clear path to collective leadership exists. Revolutionaries are now tagging the homes of officials, signaling that the balance of fear has shifted from the people to the leadership. NUMBER 6 RUSSIA'S ORESHNIK MISSILE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DETERRENCE Colleague John Hardy. Russia is utilizing the Oreshnik missile to strike Ukrainian infrastructure, leaving thousands without heat. John Hardy explains these strikes serve as psychological intimidation to deter Western nations from providing security guarantees or ground troops. Recent strikes likely targeted an aircraft repair plant, not gas storage. NUMBER 7 ESCALATING CONFLICT BETWEEN SYRIAN FORCES AND KURDISH ALLIES Colleague Akmed Khari. Clashes have erupted in Aleppo between the Syrian government and the Kurdish SDF after a failed integration agreement. Akmed Khari notes the complexity of the US coordinating with Syrian security forces that remain riddled with jihadists. The conflict is expected to expand into other contested regions. Analogy: The situation in Syria is like a shaky alliance between rival firefighters who, while ostensibly trying to put out the same blaze, begin turning their hoses on each other while the fire continues to spread. NUMBER 8 THE US-MANAGED TRANSITION IN POST-MADURO VENEZUELA Colleague Ernesto Araújo. John Batchelor and Ernesto Araújo discuss the US-led operation that captured Nicolas Maduro. Araújo describes the current situation as a well-managed transition where the US is navigating internal power struggles among military factions and criminal gangs rather than allowing a power vacuum to form. NUMBER 9 REGIONAL SHIFTS: COLOMBIA'S DIPLOMACY AND BRAZIL'S POLITICAL FUTURE Colleague Ernesto Araújo. The discussion focuses on Gustavo Petro's pivot toward the United States and the historical concept of "Grand Colombia." In Brazil, they evaluate Lula da Silva's potential re-election bid against the enduring popularity of the imprisoned Jair Bolsonaro and the influence of new nationalist political forces. NUMBER 10 REGIONAL REACTIONS TO MADURO'S CAPTURE AND THE ISOLATION OF CUBA Colleague Alejandro Peña Esclusa. Alejandro Peña Esclusa reports that Venezuelans are celebrating Maduro's capture while the Trumpadministration halts oil shipments to Cuba. He explains that regional left-wing leaders fear a trial will reveal their corrupt ties to Maduro, while the Cuban regime faces collapse without Venezuelan energy. NUMBER 11 THE FOUR FAMILIES OF CARACAS AND THE END OF THE REGIME Colleague Alejandro Peña Esclusa. Esclusa analyzes the four mafias currently competing for power in Caracas: the Rodriguez siblings, Diosdado Cabello, Padrino Lopez, and Maduro's remnants. He argues that overwhelming US military force has rendered local weapons irrelevant and that the dismantling of these groups is necessary for elections. NUMBER 12 ESCALATING IRANIAN PROTESTS AND POTENTIAL US INTERVENTION Colleague Edmund Fitton-Brown. Edmund Fitton-Brown describes the current Iranian protests as a movement that has shifted into a repression phase characterized by internet blackouts and rising casualties. He argues that US military force targeting repression organs could tip the balance in favor of the protesters, who are increasingly calling for a constitutional monarchy. The regime is reportedly attempting to negotiate following US strike threats. NUMBER 13 THE COLLAPSE OF THE AXIS OF RESISTANCE Colleague Edmund Fitton-Brown. Fitton-Brown explains how the fall of the Iranian regime would devastate its regional proxies, including Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iraqi militias, which depend on IRGC funding and training. Without Tehran's "big brother" support, these groups would likely be forced to make accommodations with local governments. He also notes Hezbollah's role as an international drug cartel. NUMBER 14 THE ZOMBIE REGIME AND STRATEGIC TARGETS Colleague Jonathan Sai. Jonathan Sai labels the Islamic Republic a "zombie regime" facing an existential threat despite its brutal crackdowns. He reports that the IRGC and foreign militias are using automatic weapons against protesters in cities like Tehran and Mashhad. Sai suggests that USintervention should prioritize striking repression centers and state-run propaganda machines to dismantle the regime's control. NUMBER 15 HEZBOLLAH'S SURVIVAL AND THE LOSS OF REGIONAL LIFELINES Colleague David Daoud. David Daoud characterizes Hezbollah as an ideological extension of Iran currently in survival mode as its lifelines in Syria and Venezuela weaken. While Hezbollah wants the regime to survive for power projection, Daoud suggests Iraqi militias are more likely to be physically assisting Tehran's crackdowns due to their proximity and lower combat losses compared to Hezbollah. To clarify the current state of the Iranian government, Jonathan Sai uses the metaphor of a "zombie regime": it may appear to be moving and in control, but it is functionally dead because it can no longer sustain its support base or provide basic necessities for its people. NUMBER 16 1832 PERSIAN GIRL, SKETCHED ON STONE BY JAMES ATKINSON
