Understanding the Deep State | Former R&AW Chief Vikram Sood

India is entering an era where power no longer sits only in governments, elections, or visible institutions — it operates through deep systems, narratives, capital flows, intelligence networks, and corporate influence. In this wide-ranging and uncompromising conversation, former R&AW chief Vikram Sood ji explains how the deep state actually functions in the modern world — beyond conspiracy theories and political slogans. From intelligence agencies and NGOs to Big Tech, asset managers, media, and covert influence operations, Vikram Sood ji lays out how power sustains itself regardless of which government is in office. We discuss why wars no longer need victories, how narratives are manufactured to justify conflict, and why wealth — not ideology — has become the real source of global control. The conversation spans Pakistan, China, the United States, Europe, Ukraine, pandemics, Hollywood, and the growing merger between intelligence, capital, and technology — with a sharp focus on what all of this means for India’s sovereignty and strategic future. This episode isn’t about headlines. It’s about the architecture beneath them. ⸻ ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 – 01:10 • Opening Hook: Power Beyond Governments 01:10 – 04:50 • Why Peace Is Often an Illusion in Geopolitics 04:50 – 09:10 • Sub-Nuclear Conflict & Why Wars Don’t Need Victory 09:10 – 13:30 • Intelligence, Narratives & How Wars Are Justified 13:30 – 17:30 • Wealth Is Power: Who Really Controls the World 17:30 – 21:45 • The Military-Industrial Cycle & Perpetual Conflict 21:45 – 26:10 • NGOs, Aid Agencies & Influence Without Guns 26:10 – 31:20 • Big Tech, Think Tanks & the Revolving Door of Power 31:20 – 36:40 • Hollywood, Media & Manufacturing Consent 36:40 – 42:30 • Europe, Russia & the Politics of Fear 42:30 – 48:00 • Ukraine, Proxies & the Business of War 48:00 – 53:20 • Pandemics, Power & Too Many Coincidences 53:20 – 58:40 • Population Control, Capital & Global Elites 58:40 – 01:04:10 • What the “Deep State” Really Means 01:04:10 – 01:10:30 • How Nations Defend Themselves Today 01:10:30 – 01:22:18 • India’s Choices in a World of Hidden Power ⸻ 👉 If you found this conversation valuable, subscribe to Bharatvaarta. We bring you serious, long-form discussions on power, geopolitics, civilisation, and the ideas shaping India’s future. 🎧 Listen & Subscribe Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/bharatvaarta/id1636240449 X → https://x.com/Bharatvaarta Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/bharatvaarta/ ⸻ 👤 Guest — Vikram Sood Former Chief, Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW) Author | Intelligence & Geopolitics Analyst 📘 Get the book: Great Power Games: From Western Decline to Eastern Ascent 👉 https://www.amazon.in/GREAT-POWER-GAMES-Western-Decline/dp/935345929X X → https://x.com/Vikram_Sood ⸻ 👤 Host — Roshan Cariappa X → https://x.com/RoshanCariappa Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/carygottheblues/