The Pete Quiñones Show Episode 1310: 2025 Examined w/ Ron Dodson and Firas Modad
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Dec 28, 2025 Ron Dodson, a Texas hedge fund owner and geopolitical commentator, teams up with Firas Modad, a Middle East analyst and host of The Lotus Eaters. They explore the implications of Trump's potential reelection on U.S. foreign policy, the decline of liberal globalism, and the evolving role of cartels in Latin America. Discussions also include China's resource dependencies, Russia-India partnerships, and the strategic significance of Odessa in Ukraine. They emphasize the need for civic engagement and discuss the looming risks of demographic shifts on national cohesion.
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Return Of Great-Power Realism
- Donald Trump's 2025 reelection reshaped geopolitics toward great-power realism and a revived Monroe Doctrine.
- That shift forces powers to prioritize regional control and avoid fighting Russia and China simultaneously.
Liberal Globalism Losing Grip
- Firas Modad argues liberal globalism and meritocratic immigration idealism are collapsing across the West.
- That collapse forces pragmatic recalculation: Europe needs Russian energy and the U.S. cannot confront China, Russia, and Iran simultaneously.
From Drug Tolerance To Paramilitary Networks
- Historical covert toleration of drugs and criminal networks in Latin America created enduring state‑within‑a‑state systems.
- Those networks now resemble paramilitary actors with ties to Hezbollah and require different policy responses.