Geopolitics & Empire

Geopolitical analyst Richard Heydarian discusses the new struggle for global mastery between the United States and China in the Indo-Pacific. He takes a nuanced look at the Trump Doctrine which although abiding by a Nixonian "Madman Strategy" accelerating the decline of American hyperpower in Asia, may yet have some tricks up its sleeves. While he sees China rising with its $8 trillion Belt & Road price tag, he finds the Middle Kingdom may actually be at its peak in terms of economic and geopolitical power. Ultimately, he sees the middle powers in ASEAN and the region leading the way in a "Rhizomatic Order" defined by constrainment (of China), defrag-megration, and regionalism. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLtOlSiJgVQ Watch on Rumble Geopolitics & Empire · Richard Heydarian: Trump, China, & the New Struggle for Global Mastery #130 *Support Geopolitics & Empire! Become a Member https://geopoliticsandempire.substack.com Donate https://geopoliticsandempire.com/donations Consult https://geopoliticsandempire.com/consultation **Visit Our Affiliates & Sponsors! Above Phone https://abovephone.com/?above=geopolitics easyDNS (use code GEOPOLITICS for 15% off!) https://easydns.com Escape The Technocracy course (15% discount using link) https://escapethetechnocracy.com/geopolitics PassVult https://passvult.com Sociatates Civis (CitizenHR, CitizenIT, CitizenPL) https://societates-civis.com Wise Wolf Gold https://www.wolfpack.gold/?ref=geopolitics Show Notes Scepticism rises in Philippines about Chinese projects and Duterte’s support of them https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3046666/scepticism-rises-philippines-about-chinese-projects-and As Indonesia stands up to China, who will follow in Southeast Asia? https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3045458/indonesia-stands-china-who-will-follow-southeast-asia Twilight of Duterte presidency might also mean last days of Philippines’ long entanglement with the US https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3044531/twilight-duterte-presidency-might-also-mean-last-days Website https://richardheydarian.ph https://www.twitter.com/richeydarian https://www.facebook.com/Richeydarian Books https://richardheydarian.ph/books About Richard Heydarian Richard Javad Heydarian is a multi-awarded public educator, academic, columnist, and policy adviser. He has taught political science at De La Salle University and Ateneo De Manila University, and is an incoming research fellow at National Chengchi University in Taiwan. He is currently resident analyst at GMA network, a columnist for the Philippine Daily Inquirer, and a regular opinion writer for leading global publications. His latest book is “The Rise of Duterte: A Populist Revolt against Elite Democracy” (Palgrave), which was among The Financial Times’ “Best of weekend long reads”, and described as “a superb monograph on the Duterte Phenomenon, grounded in political theory and Philippine history...” The Times Literary Supplement (TLS) describes it as an important work which, “vividly describes the simmering public dissatisfaction with post-Marcos “elite democracy” that paved the way for Duterte’s rapid rise to power…” He is also the author of forthcoming “The IndoPacfic Age: Trump, China, and the New Global Struggle for Mastery” (Palgrave) and “Duterte’s Foreign Policy”. He is a regular contributor to the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington DC, and has written for or/and interviewed by Aljazeera, BBC, Bloomberg, CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The Economist, among other leading global publications. He has been described as "one of Asia's most prolific...analysts," and was awarded as the 2018 Ten Outstanding Young Persons in the World (TOYP) by JCI international for his contributions in social sciences.

Dr. Johan Galtung discusses his view of the future of the world and U.S. empire. He believes we're moving into a peaceful multipolar world composed of regional civilizations, but not quite attaining "one world". He sees Islam returning with a vengeance and the U.S. possibly splitting or dividing into two parts. Watch on BitChute / Rumble Geopolitics & Empire · Johan Galtung: A Multipolar Future of Regional Civilizations, U.S. May Divide in Two #129 *Support Geopolitics & Empire! Become a Member https://geopoliticsandempire.substack.com Donate https://geopoliticsandempire.com/donations Consult https://geopoliticsandempire.com/consultation **Visit Our Affiliates & Sponsors! Above Phone https://abovephone.com/?above=geopolitics easyDNS (use code GEOPOLITICS for 15% off!) https://easydns.com Escape The Technocracy course (15% discount using link) https://escapethetechnocracy.com/geopolitics PassVult https://passvult.com Sociatates Civis (CitizenHR, CitizenIT, CitizenPL) https://societates-civis.com Wise Wolf Gold https://www.wolfpack.gold/?ref=geopolitics Show Notes On Curves, Their Interrelations, and History https://www.transcend.org/tms/2020/01/on-curves-their-interrelations-and-history Websites https://www.transcend.org https://www.galtung-institut.de Books https://www.transcend.org/tup/index.php About Johan Galtung Johan Galtung, dr, dr hc mult, a professor of peace studies, was born in 1930 in Oslo, Norway. He is a mathematician, sociologist, political scientist and the founder of the discipline of peace studies. He founded the International Peace Research Institute, Oslo (1959), the world's first academic research center focused on peace studies, as well as the influential Journal of Peace Research (1964). He has helped found dozens of other peace centers around the world. He is currently the president of the Galtung-Institut for Peace Theory & Peace Practice. He has served as a professor for peace studies at universities all over the world, including Columbia (New York), Oslo, Berlin, Belgrade, Paris, Santiago de Chile, Buenos Aires, Cairo, Sichuan, Ritsumeikan (Japan), Princeton, Hawai'i, Tromsoe, Bern, Alicante (Spain) and dozens of others on all continents. He has taught thousands of individuals and motivated them to dedicate their lives to the promotion of peace and the satisfaction of basic human needs. He has mediated in over 150 conflicts between states, nations, religions, civilizations, communities, and persons since 1957. His contributions to peace theory and practice include conceptualization of peace-building, conflict mediation, reconciliation, nonviolence, theory of structural violence, theorizing about negative vs. positive peace, peace education and peace journalism. Prof. Galtung's unique imprint on the study of conflict and peace stems from a combination of systematic scientific inquiry and a Gandhian ethics of peaceful means and harmony. Johan Galtung has conducted a great deal of research in many fields and made original contributions not only to peace studies but also, among others, human rights, basic needs, development strategies, a world economy that sustains life, macro-history, theory of civilizations, federalism, globalization, theory of discourse, social pathologies, deep culture, peace and religions, social science methodology, sociology, ecology, future studies. He is author or co-author of more than 1600 articles and over 160 books on peace and related issues, including Peace By Peaceful Means (1996), Macrohistory and Macrohistorians (with Sohail Inayatullah, 1997), Conflict Transformation By Peaceful Means (1998), Johan uten land (autobiography, 2000), Transcend & Transform: An Introduction to Conflict Work (2004, in 25 languages), 50 Years - 100 Peace and Conflict Perspectives (2008), Democracy - Peace - Development (with Paul Scott, 2008), 50 Years - 25 Intellectual Landscapes Explored (2008), Globalizing God (with Graeme MacQueen, 2008),

Former Newsweek journalist Tareq Haddad discusses the implications of the recent U.S. airstrike that killed revered Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, the prospects of a new American war in the Middle East, and perhaps even a new world war. As a writer forced to resign because of censorship, he also discusses the increasingly authoritarian and oppressive nature of media in the West and the propaganda that will follow the renewed U.S. push toward war with Iran. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAgGMwx-46Q Watch on BitChute Geopolitics & Empire · Tareq Haddad: Assassination of Iran's General Soleimani a Clear Sign of U.S. Empire's Decline #128 *Support Geopolitics & Empire! Become a Member https://geopoliticsandempire.substack.com Donate https://geopoliticsandempire.com/donations Consult https://geopoliticsandempire.com/consultation **Visit Our Affiliates & Sponsors! Above Phone https://abovephone.com/?above=geopolitics easyDNS (use code GEOPOLITICS for 15% off!) https://easydns.com Escape The Technocracy course (15% discount using link) https://escapethetechnocracy.com/geopolitics PassVult https://passvult.com Sociatates Civis (CitizenHR, CitizenIT, CitizenPL) https://societates-civis.com Wise Wolf Gold https://www.wolfpack.gold/?ref=geopolitics Show Notes Pentagon: Iran's Gen. Soleimani killed in airstrike at Baghdad airport https://www.stripes.com/news/middle-east/pentagon-iran-s-gen-soleimani-killed-in-airstrike-at-baghdad-airport-1.613351 Security Alert – U.S. Embassy Baghdad, Iraq, January 3, 2020 https://iq.usembassy.gov/security-alert-u-s-embassy-baghdad-iraq-january-3-2020/#.Xg8Atskcj6U.twitterPeter Zeihan: Another Round in the Middle East? https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/another-round-in-the-middle-eastChina urges ‘calm and restraint’ after US kills Iran general https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/01/03/China-urges-relevant-sides-to-remain-calm-exercise-restraint-after-US-strike-.html US starts the Raging Twenties declaring war on Iran https://www.asiatimes.com/2020/01/article/us-starts-the-raging-twenties-declaring-war-on-iran Trump takes a calculated risk https://www.asiatimes.com/2020/01/article/trump-takes-a-calculated-risk Websites https://tareqhaddad.com https://www.twitter.com/Tareq_Haddad About the Guest At a time in which spin, corporate interests and political polarisation dominate, I am a writer and journalist whose primary aim is to speak the truth at all costs, regardless of how difficult or unpopular that truth may be. Following my training with the Press Association and various placements at regional and national news outlets, I have since worked at the Hull Daily Mail, the International Business Times UK and Newsweek. In December of 2019, I resigned from my role at Newsweek after my attempts to publish leaked documents from scientists at the U.N.-backed chemical weapons board, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, was suppressed by my editors. The documents showed that the non-political scientists were unhappy that their findings from an alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria had been doctored and were changed to say that chlorine was present when it had not been—among other things—leading to implications that the U.S., U.K. and France launched an attack on the country on false grounds. As attempts to publish this story failed, I discovered serious corruption at Newsweek: editors at the publication had links to the U.S. State Department and to powerful lobby groups who profited from war, thus leading to their decision to suppress the story. This is a major breach of journalism ethics and raises serious questions about freedom of press. A full post explaining the story and my findings are available here. Now, I will be continuing that fight for truth independently. Going forward, I will be writing about freedom of speech, freedom of press, propaganda, politics, foreign affairs,

Robert Quartly-Janeiro talks about how the trade wars are affecting the economies of the U.S. and EU. He gives his take on political risks and opportunities in Africa and the Middle East, being positive on North Africa and the GCC. Watch on Rumble Geopolitics & Empire · Robert Quartly-Janeiro: Trade, Economy & Political Risk in the EMEA Countries #12 *Support Geopolitics & Empire! Become a Member https://geopoliticsandempire.substack.com Donate https://geopoliticsandempire.com/donations Consult https://geopoliticsandempire.com/consultation **Visit Our Affiliates & Sponsors! Above Phone https://abovephone.com/?above=geopolitics easyDNS (use code GEOPOLITICS for 15% off!) https://easydns.com Escape The Technocracy course (15% discount using link) https://escapethetechnocracy.com/geopolitics PassVult https://passvult.com Sociatates Civis (CitizenHR, CitizenIT, CitizenPL) https://societates-civis.com Wise Wolf Gold https://www.wolfpack.gold/?ref=geopolitics Websites https://www.exportactionglobal.com/team http://www.lse.ac.uk/Hellenic-Observatory/People/Visiting-Fellows/Robert-Quartly About the Guest Robert brings a decade of experience across public policy, investment management, and international consulting, across a variety of commercial and strategy focused projects. A political-economist, Robert’s geographic areas of interest is the EU, Middle East, and Africa where he works on projects related to investment attraction and promotion, government relations, businesses strategy and growth, international expansion and market entry. He has helped advance and protect client interests in a variety of sectors, including: investment management, private equity, commodities, government, agriculture, luxury goods, aviation, and sports. Prior to joining EAG, Robert was Managing Partner at QR&P Consulting, an investment intelligence and strategy firm, where he consulted investment firms, FX desks, and governments on opportunities and risks in the global economy. He formerly worked for hedge fund advisory Sussex Partners, Santander Bank, House of Commons, and the European Commission. Robert holds a Masters in Management from the University of Exeter Business School, a BA International Relations & Economics from De Montfort University – Leicester Castle Business School, and did an Erasmus at Technische Universität Dresden’s School of International Studies. *Podcast intro music is from the song "The Queens Jig" by "Musicke & Mirth" from their album "Music for Two Lyra Viols": http://musicke-mirth.de/en/recordings.html (available on iTunes or Amazon)

Ukrainian-born academic Edward Lozansky joins us to do discuss the situation in Ukraine, Trump's "Ukrainegate", NATO Expansion, the threat of nuclear war, Eurasian integration, the US-Russian economies, and what happens after Trump and Putin in 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMNSnZjNzZc Watch on BitChute / Rumble Geopolitics & Empire · Edward Lozansky: Ukraine, Trump, NATO & Eurasia in the New Cold War #126 *Support Geopolitics & Empire! Become a Member https://geopoliticsandempire.substack.com Donate https://geopoliticsandempire.com/donations Consult https://geopoliticsandempire.com/consultation **Visit Our Affiliates & Sponsors! Above Phone https://abovephone.com/?above=geopolitics easyDNS (use code GEOPOLITICS for 15% off!) https://easydns.com Escape The Technocracy course (15% discount using link) https://escapethetechnocracy.com/geopolitics PassVult https://passvult.com Sociatates Civis (CitizenHR, CitizenIT, CitizenPL) https://societates-civis.com Wise Wolf Gold https://www.wolfpack.gold/?ref=geopolitics Websites http://us-russia.org http://russiahouse.org Twitter https://www.twitter.com/EdwardLozansky Books Operation Elbe https://www.amazon.com/Operation-Elbe-Dr-Edward-Lozansky/dp/0988313758/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=edward+lozansky&link_code=qs&qid=1575900460&sourceid=Mozilla-search&sr=8-3 Show Notes Is Ukraine vital to U.S. security? https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/nov/27/crosstalk-is-ukraine-vital-to-us-security Ukraine, Georgia to become NATO members, - Stoltenberg https://112.international/ukraine-top-news/ukraine-georgia-to-become-nato-members-stoltenberg-46167-amp.html Lukashenka, Putin agree on single parliament, govt – top diplomat about integration https://belsat.eu/en/news/lukashenka-putin-agree-on-single-parliament-govt-top-diplomat-about-integration Stay Strong, Go Long – Bulletproof Russia Becomes Contrarian Haven https://tomluongo.me/2019/11/25/stay-strong-go-long-bulletproof-russia-becomes-contrarian-haven About the Guest Edward Lozansky is the President and Founder of the American University in Moscow, a Foreign Member of the Russian Academy of Social Sciences and Professor of World Politics at Moscow State and National Research Nuclear Universities. *Podcast intro music is from the song "The Queens Jig" by "Musicke & Mirth" from their album "Music for Two Lyra Viols": http://musicke-mirth.de/en/recordings.html (available on iTunes or Amazon)

Journalist and author Ioan Grillo speaks on the situation in Mexico including: the relationship between the cartels and the government, how the level of violence skyrocketed in the 2000s, why beheadings became a modus operandi, what it's like to live in Mexico, his new book on gun trafficking, solutions which include drug & gun policy reform/rule of law, and the future for AMLO and Mexico as he sees it. Watch on BitChute / Rumble Geopolitics & Empire · Ioan Grillo: Mexico, Drug Cartels, Solutions, & the Future #125 *Support Geopolitics & Empire! Become a Member https://geopoliticsandempire.substack.com Donate https://geopoliticsandempire.com/donations Consult https://geopoliticsandempire.com/consultation **Visit Our Affiliates & Sponsors! Above Phone https://abovephone.com/?above=geopolitics easyDNS (use code GEOPOLITICS for 15% off!) https://easydns.com Escape The Technocracy course (15% discount using link) https://escapethetechnocracy.com/geopolitics PassVult https://passvult.com Sociatates Civis (CitizenHR, CitizenIT, CitizenPL) https://societates-civis.com Wise Wolf Gold https://www.wolfpack.gold/?ref=geopolitics Websites http://www.ioangrillo.com https://www.twitter.com/ioangrillo Show Notes What Trump Didn’t Say About the Massacre in Mexico https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/06/opinion/mormons-mexico.html About the Guest I’m a journalist and writer based in Mexico City. I’ve been covering Latin America since 2001 for news media including Time Magazine, CNN, Reuters, The Houston Chronicle, The Associated Press, GlobalPost, France 24, CBC, The Sunday Telegraph, Letras Libres and many others. My work has also appeared in The New York Times, BBC and Guardian. I am author of the books Gangster Warlords: Drug Dollars, Killing Fields and the New Politics of Latin America (released 2016) and El Narco: Inside Mexico’s Criminal Insurgency (released 2011). I started covering drug cartels from my early days here. I was always fascinated by the riddle of these ghost like figures who made $30 billion a year, were idolized in popular songs and miraculously escaped the Mexican army and DEA. Over the decade I followed the mystery to endless murder scenes on bullet-ridden streets, mountains where drugs are born as pretty flowers, and scarred criminals from prison cells to luxury condos. During the same time, Mexico’s drug war morphed into a horrific conflict with brutal beheadings, massacres and mass graves. Journalists here found ourselves reporting on a human tragedy of epic proportions – with a never-ending trail of grieving parents and atrocities comparable to brutal civil wars. The need for better understanding to help find a way out of this hole has become more important than ever. We foreign journalists all have to turn to our homelands for part of that solution. I grew up in sunny England, near the seaside city of Brighton – famous for its pink candy, pebble beaches, colleges and bubbling night clubs. It is also one of Britain’s top places for drug consumption, switching with the fashions from Moroccan hashish to Turkish heroin to Colombian cocaine. Few there ever think about where the mind-bending substances come from or what they might give or takeaway from those countries. In Europe and the United States a hard discussion on our drug habits and policy is long overdue. As well as following drug trafficking empires, I cover the other major issues of Latin America such as natural disasters (including the Haiti earthquake), the battle between left and right (including the Honduras coup), and the vast human wave of emigration to El Norte. I was a consultant for the International Crisis Group for its first two reports on Mexico. I also love music and cover it whenever I get a chance. I co-directed a series of three short films with John Dickie, which all include a good dose of Latin American hip hop. They are Barrios Beats and Blood, Bajamar Ballad,

Professor and CEO of GnSEconomics.com Tuomas Malinen discusses why he thinks what's coming is the first-ever truly global economic crisis. We look at flashpoints in Europe, the United States, and China. He also gives a glimpse into what the aftermath might look like and what people can do to protect themselves. Watch on BitChute / Rumble Geopolitics & Empire · Tuomas Malinen: The First-Ever Truly Global Economic Crisis & Depression #124 *Support Geopolitics & Empire! Become a Member https://geopoliticsandempire.substack.com Donate https://geopoliticsandempire.com/donations Consult https://geopoliticsandempire.com/consultation **Visit Our Affiliates & Sponsors! Above Phone https://abovephone.com/?above=geopolitics easyDNS (use code GEOPOLITICS for 15% off!) https://easydns.com Escape The Technocracy course (15% discount using link) https://escapethetechnocracy.com/geopolitics PassVult https://passvult.com Sociatates Civis (CitizenHR, CitizenIT, CitizenPL) https://societates-civis.com Wise Wolf Gold https://www.wolfpack.gold/?ref=geopolitics Websites https://gnseconomics.com/en_US Twitter https://www.twitter.com/mtmalinen About the Guest PhD (econ.) Tuomas Malinen is a CEO and Chief Economist of GnS Economics. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Economics at the University of Helsinki. He has studied economics in the University of Helsinki and in the New York University. He specializes in economic growth, economic crises, central banks and the business cycle. Tuomas is currently writing a book on Forecasting Financial Crises. The five other partners of GnS Economics have years long experience in econometric forecasting, economic modelling, financial markets and business-to-business consulting and marketing. *Podcast intro music is from the song "The Queens Jig" by "Musicke & Mirth" from their album "Music for Two Lyra Viols": http://musicke-mirth.de/en/recordings.html (available on iTunes or Amazon)

Former Chatham House director, Victor Bulmer-Thomas, discusses the decline of the US Empire, its origins, the role of non-state actors, the Latin American migration crisis, the transition to financial and institutional control, the future of NATO, Brexit's relation to empires, and the need for alternative global affairs management.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocYuncDf6zk Taco Dankers is the editor of the global analysis bulletin GEFIRA and he discusses his views on how the rapidly declining global demographic situation is threatening to implode the economy and how mass migration will create social tensions that threaten different societies which in turn will exacerbate the economic crisis. *Support/Donate to Geopolitics & Empire: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/empiregeopolitics PayPal https://www.paypal.me/geopolitics Bitcoin http://geopoliticsandempire.com/bitcoin-donate Websites https://gefira.org/en Show Notes The Global Fertility Crash https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2019-global-fertility-crash Europe and the Great Migration https://www.spiked-online.com/2019/11/01/europe-and-the-great-migration About the Guest Taco Dankers has been co-owner of Gefira.org and author for Gefira.org since 2015. In 2009 he was on the election list for European elections for the list Newropeans: the first Trans European Party. Dankers graduated in physics and philosophy, both at the University of Amsterdam. The Gefira Bulletin is intended for investors. The analyses that we make and the trends that we predict deal primarily with economic and financial matters related to geopolitical events. The bulletin appears ten times a year at an annual price of 225 euros/250 dollars. We are also developing the Gefira website, accessible to users worldwide, where we explore political, social and demographic topics. The Gefira Team do not shy away from controversial issues and do not let themselves be dictated to by political correctness. We are doing our best to follow the truth wherever it leads. Demographics, trade, finance, and modern history are among our most discussed problems. In the Gefira Bulletin we cover such subjects as: Demographics The profound demographic changes have an impact on economy at large. The European nations, once the world’s dominant driving force, are now in a steady numerical decline. It is not only the ageing of the population that Europe is struggling with, but also, with a fertility of 1.5, the extinction of the indigenous peoples. Demographic growth is coupled with economic growth, which in turn increases the value of financial assets while the current demographic decline will have the opposite effect. Investors are not only passive actors, but some also take matters in their hand promoting legal as well as illegal migration to maximise their profit and increase their influence. Trade The trade imbalance between major economies has led to many crises, and many others, such as currency, trade, cyber and eventually real wars, will follow. Germany, China, and Japan are running a structural trade balance surplus, while the USA, Turkey and UK have structurally unsustainable trade deficits. In the Gefira we are keeping track on the world’s trade policies and how they create winners and losers. Central Banks and central bank policies Central Banks are the financial centres of states and their bankers prove to be better able to create economic growth than free markets. Yet, with the current Central Banking policy came cheap credit and with cheap credit came financial bubbles. The central banks, taking decisions who gets the loans i.e. who will blossom or go bust, are pulling the strings of the economy or are the hidden hand behind the seemingly free markets. . In the Gefira we are trying to find out which sector and which companies profit from central bank policies. Currencies The euro is in a deep crisis. The Treaty of Lisbon prevents the bail-out of Greece. In the absence of fundamental political reforms, the currency will not survive another ten years. The dollar is still the world’s largest reserve currency, giving the US its dominant position. Not only are the euro, yuan and gold a rival to the dollar: so are digital systems. We have entered the digital era, and countries can relatively easily build alternative payment systems,...

Geopolitics & Empire · Sourabh Gupta: Xi, Modi, & India as a Leading Power in the Indo-Pacific #121 Sourabh Gupta discusses the Xi Jinping-Narendra Modi talks and why India is not a fan of BRI or CPEC. He explains India's role in the Indo-Pacific which seeks to become not a 'balancing power' but a leading power in the region, yet wishes to remain friendly with both the U.S. and China. *Support/Donate to Geopolitics & Empire: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/empiregeopolitics PayPal https://www.paypal.me/geopolitics Bitcoin http://geopoliticsandempire.com/bitcoin-donate Websites https://chinaus-icas.org/about-icas/our-team/sourabh-gupta Show Notes Restoring maritime commons https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/restoring-maritime-commons/article29717186.ece About the Guest Sourabh Gupta is a senior Asia-Pacific international relations policy specialist with 15 years of Washington, D.C.-based experience in a think tank and political risk research and advisory capacity. His areas of specialization include: analysis of key major power relationships in the Asia-Pacific region (China-U.S, China-Japan, China-India, U.S.-Japan, U.S.-India, Japan-India relations); political, security, and economic risk evaluation of key states in the Asia-Pacific region; territorial disputes and maritime law-related developments in the Asia-Pacific region; and analysis of developments in Asian economic regionalism, and World Trade Organization and Asia-Pacific-related trade policy, politics and negotiations. He is a member of the United States Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific (USCSCAP) and was a 2012 East Asia Forum Distinguished Fellow. Prior to joining ICAS, he was a Senior Research Associate at Samuels International Associates, Inc, a diversified international consulting firm specializing in government relations, business, and trade and investment matters. He holds master’s degrees in international security studies and international relations from Georgetown University and Syracuse University, respectively, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Mumbai. *Podcast intro music is from the song "The Queens Jig" by "Musicke & Mirth" from their album "Music for Two Lyra Viols": http://musicke-mirth.de/en/recordings.html (available on iTunes or Amazon)