Jacob Shapiro and Marko Papic debut a provocative “Trade Value Index” - ranking the top 30 global leaders by geopolitical and economic value, modeled after Bill Simmons’ NBA Trade Value framework. They debate each pick based on leadership effectiveness, economic performance, future potential, and strategic skill. Categories include “products of the system,” “flawed but effective,” and “miracle workers.” The episode mixes deep geopolitical analysis with irreverent commentary and playful competitiveness, offering both serious insight and tongue-in-cheek takes on today’s most powerful politicians. Part two will feature a full debate on their final lists.
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Timestamps:
(00:00) - Introduction
(00:40) - Concept of Trade Value in Politics
(03:56) - Ranking Criteria and Methodology
(10:22) - Initial Rankings: 26-30
(13:30) - Discussion on Initial Rankings
(21:08) - Flawed but Effective Leaders
(29:53) - Unproven Gems
(38:13) - Competent but Boring Leaders
(41:51) - Diamonds Under Pressure
(44:52) - Lula and Bolsonaro: The Biden Comparison
(45:10) - Victor Orban: The Smart Tactician
(45:54) - Benjamin Netanyahu: The Politician's Politician
(46:55) - Javier Millet: Crypto Ron Paul Meets Steve Jobs
(48:01) - Narendra Modi: The Twilight of a Career
(52:40) - Diamonds Under Pressure: Eddie Rama and Cyril Osa
(53:16) - Naive Bukele: The Perfect Man for the Era
(58:52) - Shigeru Ishiba: The Tragic Hero of Japan
(01:02:25) - Top Leaders: From Pedro Sanchez to Georgia Maloney
(01:19:12) - Final Thoughts
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Geopolitical Cousins is produced and edited by Audiographies LLC. More information at audiographies.com
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Jacob Shapiro is a speaker, consultant, author, and researcher covering global politics and affairs, economics, markets, technology, history, and culture. He speaks to audiences of all sizes around the world, helps global multinationals make strategic decisions about political risks and opportunities, and works directly with investors to grow and protect their assets in today’s volatile global environment. His insights help audiences across industries like finance, agriculture, and energy make sense of the world.
Jacob Shapiro Site: jacobshapiro.com
Jacob Shapiro LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jacob-l-s-a9337416
Jacob Twitter: x.com/JacobShap
Jacob Shapiro Substack: jashap.substack.com/subscribe
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Marko Papic is a macro and geopolitical expert at BCA Research, a global investment research firm. He provides in-depth analysis that combines geopolitics and markets in a framework called GeoMacro. He is also the author of Geopolitical Alpha: An Investment Framework for Predicting the Future.
Marko’s Book & Newsletter: www.geopoliticalalpha.com/marko-papic
Marko’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marko-papic-geopolitics/
Marko’s Twitter: https://x.com/Geo_papic
Marko’s Macro & Geopolitical Research at BCA: https://www.bcaresearch.com/marketing/geomacro
Geopolitical Cousins 
