Nutshell Politics

In this episode, we discuss the recent major change in Qatari relations with its nearest (only) neighbor, Saudi Arabia, and several other countries in the Middle East, as well the potential repercussions from this that will ripple throughout the world. Who & where is Qatar? Why have they been feuding with Saudi Arabia? Why did several nations cut off diplomatic relations with them 3+ years ago? And what happened just this week that changed all of that??

A special reading of Chapter 1 of Ring of Conspiracy, my brand-new mystery/suspense novel!

If you want to continue the story, the novel is available on Amazon NOW in both paperback and Kindle! Thanks so much for your support! I really appreciate all of you!

In this episode, we discuss the recent mysterious killing of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, an Iranian nuclear scientist about a week ago. Assassinated by (apparently) a remote-controlled machine gun in a roadside ambush, this scientist played a role in the nuclear weapons program in Iran for decades, but his most important contributions were many years back. So who exactly was Fakhrizadeh? Why could he have been targeted? What was the motive and purpose for going after him now? Who was behind the attack? An individual, a country? And what happens next? We finish by talking about Iran's options going forward.

In this episode, we discuss two major world events that took place on the same day in history, 61 years apart, in the same country of Germany. November 9th has been the day of both evil heartbreak and amazing triumph, with far reaching impacts that had ripples that reshaped the world, with both Kristallnacht and the fall of the Berlin Wall. So we discuss both. What caused them? What happened on that day? And what were the impacts that revolutionized and reshaped all of international politics and the entire world order?

In this episode, we discuss the recent 75th anniversary celebration parade in North Korea. Between an unusual tone taken by Kim Jong-un in his speech to a gargantuan new missile that was unveiled, there was a lot that people noticed. So what does it all mean??

In this episode, we highlight a people group in Asia that has been in the news recently, the Uyghurs. Who are they? Where are they from? What makes them unique? And why have they been in the news? The Chinese government has been oppressively persecuting these people within their borders, bordering on a modern-day Holocaust complete with labor camps, so why is no one speaking out?

In this episode, we talk about how much of the modern Middle East got the borders we see today, from Iraq to Syria to Jordan to Israel. While there are exceptions to this (notably Saudi Arabia and some of the eastern countries), I track the national borders back to World War I and discuss the Sykes-Picot agreement that allowed for the current national partitions. This sets the stage for much of the conflict and struggles with identity (ethnic vs religious vs national identities) that we see in the region today.

In this episode, we discuss the recent historic peace deal to normalize relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the first such deal in 26 years, and brokered in part by the United States and Donald Trump. We talk about the conditions of the ground-breaking deal, the history of Israeli peace deals with Arab countries, and the many implications and consequences this deal presents. How does each country benefit? Will this be an aberration or the first in a set of similar dominoes to fall? Is this just like the previous deals with Egypt and Jordan or is there something unique about this one? What should we look at going forward?

In this episode, we discuss the recent events between the US and Iran, sparked by the killing of Iranian general and terrorist, Qasem Soleimani by targeted missile. Who was he? Why was this a big deal? Why are people talking about World War Three? Is that going to happen? And what SHOULD we expect going forward from this?

For Christmas Eve, we have a brief discussion of the famous Christmas Truce of 1914, an unusual and fascinating event that took place during World War I. This is a replay of the episode from last year, but it's a good one and 'tis the season!

I know I've been on a bit of a hiatus lately, but I'll be back with new episode shortly! (And an explanation for my absence)

In this episode, we discuss one of the most famous untouched people groups in the world, the Sentinelese.  Who are these people on a single island off the coast of India? Why are they untouched by modern society? What are they like? Have there been attempts to contact them?

This episode also serves as the introduction for the next one, a more broad look at the concept of uncontacted people groups around the world and how that plays into world politics.

In this week's episode, we look at the recent shocking news of the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, taken out by US Army Delta Force. How did we find this terrorist leader? What happened in the raid? Who was he and what was his impact? And what will the repercussions be going forward?

In this week's episode, we discuss President Trump's recent decision to pull out of Syria and the effect that has on one of our allies in the region, the Kurds. What did he actually do? Why did he do it? What effect will this have on our allies? We also replay a previous bit about who the Kurds are & why they're important.

This week, we examine the political science paradox known as the "Resource Curse" or the "Paradox of Plenty". Why do countries with an abundance of a natural resource often have struggling economies? What explains that? Is it a true relationship or is something else happening? And what can be done about it?

In this week's episode, we discuss the recent death of Robert Mugabe, former President of Zimbabwe. A very controversial figure with a past of liberation for the Zimbabwean people, but also a history of violence, racism, corruption, and human rights abuses, Mugabe ruled the nation until 2017 and recently passed away.

In this week's episode, we take a look back at one of the most popular episodes of Nutshell Politics, a show where we discussed the infamous terrorist group known as the Islamic State, or ISIS.

In this week's episode, we conclude a two week series on economic models in the world by looking at Capitalism and Socialism. This is a bit more technical episode than I normally do, but hopefully it's helpful and informative!

In this week's episode, we begin a brief, two-week series on major  economic models/systems, culminating next week with a big Capitalism vs Socialism episode. This week, I offer the lead-in by discussing Mercantilism and State Capitalism models.

In this week's episode, we discuss the ongoing Hong Kong protests in their demonstrations against Chinese influence and push for democracy. It's been going on since March/April, so why are they protesting? What do they want? What are the implications of their demonstrations? And what can we expect going forward?

I had to record this week in an unusual location, so if the sound quality is a bit different, that's why. I'll be back in my normal spot next week!

First dropped almost a year ago, in Sept 2018, this episode on the history of modern terrorism is one of my most popular, most downloaded/played of all time. Enjoy! I'll be back with a brand-new episode next week!

In this week's episode, we talk about some of the cracks we're starting to see in the EU (the debt crisis, mass migration, and Brexit) and what that might mean going forward for the continent and the organization. 

In this week's episode, we spotlight a terrorist organization that was in the news last week for a brutal terrorist attack in Mogadishu. al-Shabaab is less known than the more infamous al-Qaeda or ISIS, but have been very powerful and violent in East Africa. We discuss who they are, what their ideology is, what they want, and more.

In this week's episode, we look at the story behind the recent discovery of the USS Eagle Boat 56, a submarine chaser patrol boat that was sunk off the coast of Maine during World War II. Missing for nearly 75 years, it was recently found again!

In this week's episode, we take a fun look at the tiny, Norwegian fishing village of Sommaroy. Situated so far north, it's inside the Arctic circle, they have mounted a half-serious marketing campaign to become the only time zone-free city in the world. Find out why by listening!

In this week's episode, we discuss the West African plan to introduce the "eco", a single currency that they seek to share as soon as 2020. What is it? Why are they trying to do this? What implications does this have for the region? And what implications does this have for the world at large? I think you'll find that this "eco" may have more important consequences for global theory and economy than it may seem.

In this week's episode, we discuss a BRIEF history of the Israel-Palestine conflict to set the stage, then dive into the outcome of the recent conference last week in Bahrain where the US revealed their economic plan toward peace and prosperity in Palestine. Who went? What was discussed? What was the outcome? Why is this important? And where do we go from here?

In this week's episode, we discuss the relationship between the United States and Iran. We start by briefly touching on the history of the relationship going back to the 1950s, but then focus on the sharp rise in tensions just in the last couple weeks, culminating in Iran shooting down a US drone and America's response.

In this week's episode, we examine the upcoming conference in Bahrain, hosted by the United States, to improve the Palestinian economy & infrastructure as the first step toward peace. The Palestinians aren't showing up, but what Arab states are planning to attend? What does that mean? What implications does this have for the region? And why is this such a big deal, regardless of success?

In this week's episode, we pay tribute to the 75th anniversary of D-Day by briefly discussing that fateful day when the Allied forces kicked off the invasion into Normandy.

In this week's episode, we take a look at the unusual case of John Walker Lindh, the man known infamously as the "American Taliban". Convicted of aiding terrorists and captured in Afghanistan after 9/11, Lindh was released from federal prison after serving 17 years (with 3 years of upcoming probation). We discuss who Lindh was/is and some of the concerns surrounding his release, as well as briefly touching on the implications for our democracy surrounding what to do next.

In this week's episode, we take a look back at one of the most popular Nutshell Politics episodes, from back in August, where we discussed the Kurdish people, their history, their culture & religions, and their role in the Middle East today. Enjoy!

In this week's episode, we examine a recent ISIS video, depicting their leader, al-Baghdadi. So just who is Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi? And what does his emergence in a recent video--the first in 5 years--mean?

In this week's episode, we take looks at several important elections around the world that have either happened recently or are upcoming, from Ukraine to India to the European Parliament. What are important about them? What makes them unique or influential? What do we need to keep an eye on going forward?

In this week's episode, we look at recent escalations of conflict in Israel and the Palestinian territory in Gaza. What is happening? What sparked it? What to expect going forward?

In this week's episode, we look at the recent terrorist attack in Sri Lanka, as well as some of the context behind the violent history of terrorism in the island country.

A look back at one of my more popular episodes where--as a tribute to the late Stan Lee--we examined the unusual intersection between superheroes and politics. Stan Lee forever changed the way society views superheroes and left his mark on an whole field of literature. So with Avengers: Endgame coming out this week, we took a look at how superheroes have impacted, and been impacted by, international politics from Captain America punching Hitler to Hydra to Stan Lee's own military service.

In this greatest hits week, we take a look back at a January episode on some of the unique aspects to America's founding, its early development, and how its foreign policy has changed over the years since, all the way up until today.

In this week's episode, we examine the concept and history behind human rights at the individual level. What is a "human right", when did the concept emerge, and why are they so controversial?

This week, we examine a group that was recently in the news for losing their final city stronghold in Syria, the infamous Islamic State (or ISIS). We discuss their history, their leader, their unique ideology, and where we go from here. Have they actually been defeated? What did they really believe? Where did they come from?

In this week's episode, we honor Women's History Month by taking a look at the concept of matriarchy and matrilineal societies, female-led cultures. We start by discussing a few historical cases, then move into modern tribes/groups that exhibit matriarchal traits.

In this week's episode, we take a look at the recent developments surrounding Brexit, the U.K.'s move to leave the European Union. A big date is coming up by the end of the month, so we take a look back at why the U.K. voted to leave, what some of the challenges are, and possibly what will happen next.

A replay of one of my most popular, most played episodes on the history of modern terrorism, from September! I'll be back with a brand new episode next week!

In this week's episode, we look at a trio of current events. We kick things off with a brief discussion of the recent summit between President Trump and Kim Jong-un of North Korea. Then, we move into a look at last week's flare-up in relations between India and Pakistan. Finally, we close things out with a talk about a terrorist, Hamza bin Laden. You probably recognize that name, as he's the 30 year old son of the infamous Osama bin Laden and the U.S. recently put out a $1 million reward for information on his whereabouts.

In this week's episode, we take a look at Hoda Muthana, a 24-year-old from Alabama who ran away to join ISIS, but now has renounced the ideology and wants to return home with her young son. Why did she do it? What will happen next?

In this week's episode, we examine the concept of a "State of Emergency". President Trump recently declared one over border security, so what is it? What others exist? What does it mean? What happens next?

In this week's episode, we discuss the oddly symbiotic nature of the relationship between the media and terrorist organizations, where each benefits from the other. We start by talking about "old media", like newspapers and mainstream media organizations, but finish with the benefits and dangers of "new" or social media.