Geopulse: Guns - Gadgets - Genes - Germs

SPECIAL EPISODE. A World on Edge: Shashank Joshi on President Trump's Bagram airbase nostalgia, Afg-Pak tensions, Ukraine and China's War Machine

What does it mean when a sitting US President keeps demanding the return of a lost airbase? President Trump has repeatedly asked for the return of Bagram airbase? Can he get it back?  Is the Taliban regime more durable than many assumed and what does Pakistan’s recoil mean for its future? Has the Ukraine war already rewritten the logic of modern power or is the decisive phase still ahead? And in the shadows, is China quietly building the largest war-making machine of the 21st century? In this special Geopulse episode, Shashank Joshi, the Defence Editor of The Economist, joins the host Tamim Asey for a candid, deeply insightful, off-camera conversation. Shashank is one of the most influential analysts of contemporary war and strategy. Before joining The Economist, he served as Senior Research Fellow at RUSI, taught at King’s College London’s Department of War Studies and authored major works on airpower, nuclear strategy, South Asian security and great-power rivalry.  The discussion ranges across: •Bagram Air Base and Trump’s repeated desire to “get it back”. •Taliban regime durability and regional coercion dynamics. •Ukraine and the future of Europe’s security order. •Drones, EW, industrial mobilisation and the new grammar of war. •China’s military-industrial base and long-horizon ambitions. A dense, lucid, and ominously relevant conversation about the world as it is — and the conflicts it may yet descend into. Must listen.

Episode 8. Atomic Backfires in a New Nuclear Age: Dr. Stephen Herzog on a Crumbling Nuclear Order, Missile Shields, New Wars and Old Bombs

Eighty years after Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the nuclear order stands at a crossroads. Treaties strain, rivalries deepen and emerging technologies challenge decades of strategic balance. What happens when nuclear policies fail—and the safeguards meant to prevent catastrophe start to crack? In this gripping episode of Geopulse, host Tamim Asey speaks with Dr. Stephen Herzog, one of the world’s leading experts on nuclear governance and arms control. From his work at the Middlebury Institute and Harvard’s Project on Managing the Atom to his upcoming MIT Press book Atomic Backfires: When Nuclear Policies Fail, Dr. Herzog brings unparalleled insight into the forces shaping our nuclear future. We explore: •The state of the nuclear non-proliferation regime eight decades after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. •How public opinion worldwide is shifting on nuclear weapons and arms control. •The dangerous nuclear implications of the Ukraine war. •The destabilising role of missile defence and emerging technologies. •What “policy backfires” teach us about the next nuclear crisis. A conversation for anyone who wants to understand how close we may be to the edge—and what can be done to pull back. Now available on all platforms including Apple Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music and others.

Episode 7. Firewalls and Frontiers: Dr. Edward Lemon on his book and Eurasia’s Rebellion Against Chinese Authoritarian Tech and Subtle Algorithmic Rule

In this episode of Geopulse, host Tamim Asey sits down with Professor Edward Lemon — one of the world’s leading experts on authoritarianism, security, and geopolitics in Central Asia and beyond. Currently a Research Assistant Professor at Texas A&M’s Bush School and President of the Oxus Society, Professor Lemon has long been at the forefront of research on transnational repression, digital surveillance, and authoritarian legalism. We dive deep into his groundbreaking new book, Backlash: China’s Struggle for Influence in Central Asia, co-authored with Bradley Jardine and Niva Yau. Far from the narrative of unstoppable Chinese expansion, Backlash reveals a story of resistance, elite pushback, and geopolitical recalibration across the steppes and cities of Central Asia. Together, we explore: •How Central Asian populations are pushing back against Beijing’s digital surveillance tech rise. •The rise of digital authoritarianism and surveillance infrastructure. •Transnational repression and how regimes target dissidents abroad. •Regional security architecture shaped by China, Russia, and local regimes. •What the West gets wrong about influence and authoritarian resilience in the region. Join us for a gripping conversation on the hidden fault lines shaping one of the most strategically contested regions in the world.

Episode 6. The Empire Report: Yaroslav Trofimov on Ukraine, the Middle East, Books authored and the Grand Arc of History

In this riveting episode of Geopulse, award-winning journalist and bestselling author Yaroslav Trofimov joins host Tamim Asey for an extraordinary journey through the frontlines of history, empire and global upheaval. From the trenches of Ukraine to the deserts of the Middle East, Trofimov’s reporting has captured the pulse of collapsing regimes, rising authoritarian powers, and the unfinished wars that continue to shape our world. We dive into his latest book, Our Enemies Will Vanish, alongside his earlier works The Siege of Mecca and Faith at War, to trace the fault lines of global power and the human stories behind them. Together, they explore: •Why Putin invaded Ukraine—and what it reveals about modern imperial ambition and miscalculation. •The haunting parallels between Kabul and Kyiv, Mosul and Mariupol. •Ukraine’s transformation into a laboratory of military-tech innovation and its rise as a potential global tech superpower. •America’s retreat from global leadership and its ripple effects across regions. •The role of memory, myth, and narrative in shaping war and resistance. •How the grand arc of history is bending—toward what, and for whom? This is not just a podcast episode—it’s a geopolitical briefing from one of the most seasoned chroniclers of war, power and global power politics. Tune in to hear Yaroslav Trofimov decode the past—and warn us about what comes next.

Episode 5. Echoes from the Steppe: Bruce Pannier on Central Asia’s Cartographic Curse, Water Wars and Quest for Geopolitical Identity

Few voices have captured the pulse of Central Asia with the clarity, depth and integrity of Bruce Pannier. As a widely respected journalist and veteran analyst, Bruce has long served as a trusted chronicler of the region—offering grounded, unbiased insights into one of the world’s most strategically overlooked landscapes. In this special episode of Geopulse, Bruce joins host Tamim Asey to explore how the legacies of Soviet-imposed borders, forced demographics and imperial politics continue to shape the region’s modern identity and geopolitics. Together, they dive into: •The lingering impact of Stalinist border-making on regional tensions. •The rise of nationalism and post-Soviet state narratives. •The politics of water, energy, and ecological strain. •Security challenges shaped by religion, extremism, and repression. •Central Asia’s search for autonomy amid competing powers—Russia, China, the West. With rare clarity and nuance, Bruce Pannier gives voice to the region’s quiet struggles and emerging aspirations. Tune in for a rich and unfiltered conversation with the voice of Central Asia himself—on a region caught between the scars of empire and the promise of a bright future.