Starting Five: US Presidents

Nov 18, 2025

The hosts dive into ranking the top five and bottom five U.S. presidents based on their geopolitical acumen. Abraham Lincoln's handling of foreign pressures during the Civil War and Theodore Roosevelt's assertive diplomacy both shine. They discuss Polk's ambitious expansionism and George H.W. Bush's navigation of the post-Cold War landscape. The chaos escalates as they unveil the worst presidents, critiquing LBJ's Vietnam strategy and George W. Bush's controversial Iraq War decisions while weighing the long-term implications of each leader's choices.

02:03:16

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ANECDOTE

Playing Basketball With Kim’s Schoolmate

Marko recounts playing basketball in Swiss school with Kim Jong-un's older brother who tried out and fell after a pick.
He recalls another North Korean student who was actually a 27-year-old bodyguard playing as a starter.

volunteer_activism

ADVICE

Bring Tactics To Negotiations

Bring a negotiator who matches the tactical moment and can be ruthless when required in bargaining.
Prioritize tactical leverage over ideological purity during tough negotiations.

insights

INSIGHT

FDR’s Strategic Patience Before WWII

Franklin Roosevelt marshaled U.S. industrial and diplomatic power to prepare for and win total war in WWII.
He balanced public opinion with strategic patience via lend-lease until Pearl Harbor mobilized full U.S. engagement.

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Hosts' Coffee Rant and Early Anecdotes

02:03 • 3min

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Personal Stories: Basketball with Foreign Figures

05:07 • 5min

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Episode Premise: Ranking Geopolitical Presidents

10:10 • 1min

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Methodology and Initial Rules for the Lists

11:18 • 3min

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Marko's Starting Five Picks

14:07 • 2min

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Jacob's Ranked Starting Five

15:38 • 2min

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Why Washington and Lincoln Rank High

17:20 • 11min

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FDR's Pre-War Strategy and Alliance Management

28:36 • 9min

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Polk's Geopolitical Ambition and Territorial Expansion

37:25 • 7min

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George H.W. Bush: Managing Victory and Post‑Cold War Transition

44:11 • 6min

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Theodore Roosevelt's Big Stick and Global Posture

50:01 • 5min

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Bench Players and Honorable Mentions

55:04 • 12min

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C-SPAN Presidential Historian Rankings and Comparison

01:07:06 • 4min

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Transition to Worst Foreign Policy Presidents

01:10:40 • 13sec

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Marko's Bottom Five: Biden to Kennedy

01:10:52 • 5min

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Jacob's Bottom Five: LBJ, George W. Bush, Truman, Madison, Clinton

01:16:06 • 5min

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Deep Dive: Lyndon B. Johnson's Domestic Strength, Foreign Failure

01:21:09 • 48sec

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George W. Bush: War on Terror and Strategic Consequences

01:21:57 • 4min

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Truman and the Korean War's Long Shadow

01:26:09 • 6min

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James Madison and the War of 1812's Failures

01:31:56 • 31sec

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Bill Clinton's Missed Unipolar Opportunities

01:32:27 • 7min

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Eisenhower's Military Complex and Covert Actions

01:39:36 • 5min

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JFK's Bay of Pigs, Cuban Missile Crisis, and Vietnam Entrenchment

01:44:20 • 4min

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Debating Context: Leaders' Successors and Long-Term Outcomes

01:48:21 • 10min

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Final Verdicts and Disagreements on Biden and Modern Policy

• Mentioned in 21 episodes

Geopolitical Alpha

Marko Papic

#2844

• Mentioned in 13 episodes

The best and the brightest

David Halberstam

This book by David Halberstam examines the decisions that led to the United States' involvement in the Vietnam War, particularly highlighting the roles of academics and intellectuals in President John F. Kennedy's administration. It delves into the lives and policies of key figures such as Robert McNamara, McGeorge Bundy, and Dean Rusk, and critiques the 'whiz kids' who implemented policies that often defied common sense. The book covers the period from 1960 to 1965 and beyond, providing a detailed account of the strategic blunders and moral crises that characterized the U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

#3210

• Mentioned in 11 episodes

Diplomacy

Henry Kissinger

In this book, Henry Kissinger provides a sweeping history of diplomacy, focusing on the 20th century and the Western World. He discusses the concepts of balance of power, Realpolitik, and the differences in national styles of diplomacy. Kissinger draws from his own experiences as a key figure in U.S. foreign policy, including his negotiations with leaders such as de Gaulle, Nixon, Chou En-lai, Mao Tse-tung, Reagan, and Gorbachev. The book critiques various diplomatic approaches, including collective security and self-determination, and argues for a return to European-style realpolitik in U.S. foreign policy after the Cold War.

Jacob and Marko finally caved to the mob on X and did what everyone (one guy who asked nicely) keeps yelling at them to do - rank the top five geopolitical U.S. presidents and the bottom five disasters. Not the best presidents. Not the most “inspirational.” The most geopolitically competent… and the ones who should never have been allowed within 500 feet of foreign policy.

It gets spicy. Lincoln shows up with ruthless brilliance, Polk rolls in like the ultimate expansionist psychopath, Teddy swings a big stick (and probably breaks a few ribs), and then we get to the bottom five - where the real chaos lives.

Why do some leaders bend history while others trip over it? And what happens when the world’s biggest superpower forgets the stakes?

Timestamps:

(00:00) - Best Intro Ever

(00:42) - Listener Reactions and Content Expectations

(01:43) - Current Events and Personal Opinions

(02:37) - Coffee Rant and Personal Preferences

(05:07) - Geopolitical Anecdotes and Personal Stories

(09:58) - Top Five Geopolitical US Presidents

(14:10) - Debating Presidential Competence

(46:05) - Reagan's Foreign Policy and the Gulf War

(46:56) - George HW Bush's Strategic Decisions

(48:29) - Bush's Approach to China and Tiananmen Square

(49:54) - Theodore Roosevelt's Foreign Policy Legacy

(50:58) - Comparing Presidential Foreign Policies

(54:50) - Honorable Mentions and Controversial Picks

(01:10:17) - Worst Foreign Policy Presidents

(01:20:14) - LBJ's Economic and War Policies((01:21:14 George W. Bush's Foreign Policy Failures

(01:22:12) - The Impact of Al-Qaeda and the War on Terror

(01:26:07) - Truman's Geopolitical Blunders

(01:32:26) - Bill Clinton's Missed Opportunities

(01:39:36) - Eisenhower's Domino Theory and CIA Operations

(01:48:39) - Biden's Foreign Policy Critique

(01:59:18) - Final Thoughts and Reflections

Geopolitical Cousins is produced and edited by Audiographies LLC. More information at audiographies.com

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

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

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