Stratfor Daily Podcast

Black Friday after a bad week. The Dow is now 40 percent below last year’s peaks, the NASDAQ has lost 60 percent. In Tokyo, the Nikkei lost 10 percent Oct. 10 in just one session, Europe fares not much better. Confidence is shot. The next roll of the dice will be weekend meetings in Washington of the G7, G20, and the IMF’s policymaking committee of finance ministers and central bankers. But, says Colin Chapman, let’s look at events in the perspective of John K. Galbraith and George Friedman. [more]

The political divorce of Ukraine’s president and prime minister appears final, as the Rada is dissolved and new elections are set for December. Pro-Western President Viktor Yushchenko’s future seems doubtful — but Russia’s star is on the rise in Kiev. [more]

Like others around the world, Russia’s financial markets have been roiled in recent weeks by volatility and the global credit crisis — which began to unfold soon after Russia asserted itself more powerfully on the global stage. In this interview, senior analyst Peter Zeihan discusses the strengths and risks of Russia’s economy and what it all means against the broader geopolitical backdrop. [more]

Structural challenges in Europe and economic nationalism in Asia rise to the fore as world leaders struggle to contain damages from the unfolding financial crisis. [more]

The world’s financial problems are not yet solved, but European talk of the death of American-style capitalism is premature. Bankers, however, have lost the power they have used over the past two decades, argues Colin Chapman. [more]

While world bankers and treasurers worry about the slowing economy and financial sector solvency, Europe is distracted by a new proposal from Moscow that would threaten the NATO alliance — already under pressure in several quarters. [more]

Coverage of the global financial crisis continues with a look at reactions and strategies in Europe, Asia and Russia, while the Bush administration’s bailout package returns to the House for a fresh vote. [more]

Come 2009, what will be the foreign policy challenges facing the next president? And be it Barack Obama or John McCain, who is best equipped to deal with them? What conclusions can be drawn from the recent U.S. foreign policy debate — overshadowed as it was by financial crisis? Colin Chapman discusses this with Stratfor founder Dr. George Friedman, whose seminal four-part series examining policy issues can be read at www.stratfor.com. [more]

EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson says Capitol Hill has “taken leave of its senses.” But as governments bail out more banks, the pressure is on U.S. congressmen to reconsider a decision that brings recession closer. Colin Chapman talks to Dr. George Friedman, Stratfor’s founder, on the issue. [more]

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's $700 billion bailout package to Congress signals the end of the beginning, but there are still tough times ahead, with Europe potentially facing a bigger downturn than the United States, argues Colin Chapman, who also says China is clearly not immune. [more]

Concluding a special series of podcasts, Stratfor’s Middle East director, Kamran Bokhari, discusses how Iran’s geography shapes its economy, security policies and U.S. options in dealing with Tehran. [more]

A new segment in Stratfor’s podcast series on the science and application of geopolitical principles opens with a look at Iran. Marla Dial narrates. [more]

Rounding out a three-part discussion of China and its geopolitical imperatives, senior analyst Rodger Baker and Marla Dial focus on China’s economic challenges and factors influencing Beijing’s policy decisions. [more]

The second installment of a special podcast series on China’s geopolitics continues, as senior analyst Rodger Baker examines Beijing’s current security challenges and military policies. [more]

Stratfor continues a special series examining the geopolitical underpinnings of key world powers.... [more]

In the second installment of a new podcast series, Stratfor founder and CEO Dr. George Friedman discusses domestic Israeli politics, the outlook for a peace deal with Syria and the emergence of new challenges involving foreign powers. [more]

In the first installment of a new podcast series examining the geopolitical underpinnings of key world powers, Marla Dial narrates a study on Israel’s geography — and how it has shaped the security and politics of its people for millennia. [more]

The deal struck with Zimbabwe's opposition and president Robert Mugabe may stop the killing, but... [more]

Despite the long faces in Wall Street and at London's Canary Wharf, the world has not come to an... [more]

International investors have pulled huge sums out of Russia with the market tumbling 50 per cent... [more]

Despite OPEC cutting output, despite some Texas refineries being shut and production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico being evacuated as a precaution against the onset of Hurricane Ike, oil prices declined again — an indication it will take more than bad weather and the hawks to get a barrel of crude back above the $100 mark. But Russia is now seeking a deal with OPEC. Colin Chapman reports. [more]

U.S. officials have outlined a possible new military strategy in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region. Meanwhile, Bolivia’s political conflict is tipping toward a new crisis threshold, and Russia sends yet another signal to the United States about protecting its spheres of influence. [more]

With an Israeli party election on the horizon and Syrian peace talks on hold, will a newly ambitious Russia find a strategic opening in the Middle East? [more]

Pakistan has a new president — Asif Ali Zardari, of the PPP — and no shortage of challenges awaiting his attention. Stratfor examines the latest U.S. air strike, Islamabad’s “Taliban management” policy and its role in the wider region. [more]

After back-to-back hurricanes and with a resurgent Russia in the background, the question of international aid for Cuba takes a geopolitical twist. [more]