With its countless ethnic groups, tribes, languages and nations, Africa is not just a huge continent but a very diverse one. The countries in Africa share a history of foreign exploitation and a legacy of poverty and corruption as well as stifled political development that has prevented the African people from capitalising on their economic potential. In this podcast we look at the geopolitics of Africa.

Semiconductors are fast becoming the oil of the 21st century. They are what allow us to get all the power and speed in things like smartphones, tablets, digital TVs, wireless communications infrastructure, network hardware, computers and many more devices which have smart capabilities. The supply chain for semiconductors is critical, similar to how the supply chain for oil was in the 20th century. Last Year US president Biden placed an embargo on the export of advanced semiconductor chips and equipment to China and so now there is in effect an arms race on semiconductors. 

The war in Ukraine has just passed its 18-month anniversary. It was on 24 February 2022 when Russian troops crossed into Ukraine beginning Europe's first interstate war since WW2. Since then, the west has provided military and economic support to Ukraine whilst Russia has been trying to conquer territory and grind out a victory. 

It was two years ago on August 15th, when the Afghan people prevailed against another empire as the US got up and left the mountainous country after a disastrous two decade occupation. The Taliban have been busy trying to rule over the nation and trying to solve the myriad of challenges. How have they fared 2 years on? 

The ancient Greeks, Romans, the place of the reformation and the enlightenment. The region that found the new world and colonised the world, for the last 500 years Europe defined the world. In this podcast we begin by looking at the regions of the world, beginning with Europe 

There is lots of chatter about the demise of the dollar, especially since the US placed unprecedented sanctions on Russia. Many US commentators are talking about the end of the dollar's dominance as a number of US allies trade with China in currencies that do not include the dollar. It seems not a day goes by without China's currency, the Yuan being in the news. The recent gathering of the BRICS organisation revealed they are considering launching a new currency. Many consider BRICS will replace western institutions such as the G7 and the IMF. So are the days of the US created financial order numbered? 

The killing of Nahel Mehzuk, a 17-year-old French-Algerian delivery driver during a traffic stop by French police has led to widespread protests in France. For many, taking to the streets is an expression of frustration and anger over injustices such as racism and inequality. Whilst for others it's a case of immigrants not adopting French values. In this podcast we sit down with Al-Ameer who was born and grew up in Paris on the underlying issues facing France 

We asked you on a number of platforms for your questions on geopolitics. We gathered these together and put them to geopolity founder Adnan Khan. 0.52 - Why are relations being normalised with Al-Assad 4:18 - What does Erdogan's recent electoral victory mean for Turkey's future 7:01 - What is the current status in Pakistan between the army and Imran Khan 9:12 - Tensions have broken out between the Taliban and Iran. What is going on, what is the latest with Afghanistan? 11:18 - Where does the war in Ukraine currently stand? 12:57 - We can't really talk about Ukraine Adnan without talking about the rebellion by Wagner a few weeks ago. We did do a Podcast at the time, but what do we know now that we didn't necessarily know then? 17:26 - Can India ever become a global power? 20:03 - Is US power in decline? 22:51 - Can you explain how the concept of a vassal nation works  25:12 - How is it possible that independent nations have disputes with someone else's vassal nation? 27:31 - How does one acquire deep political thinking, what books can one read

The events of the weekend in Russia could have been a plot from a Russian drama. A rogue soldier withdraws his units and leaves the battlefront in order to carry out a coup. He takes over a key base in Southern Russia which is essential for the war in Ukraine and whilst this is all going on, Moscow is put under high alert for a potential coup. And as we approached the climax of the plot an agreement is struck, and everything all comes to an end. The Coup is over, but is Putin still in trouble?

On May 14, Turkish voters will go to the polls to elect a new president and parliament in what is one of the most important elections of 2023. According to the latest polling, Turkey’s united opposition poses an unprecedented challenge to Erdogan’s rule. Is this the end of Erdogan or will he pull out another ace card?

20 years ago in March 2003, the  US launched an invasion of Iraq, promising to end the rule of President Saddam Hussein and destroy alleged weapons of mass destruction in the oil-rich country. Today, 20 years on, Saddam Hussain is gone, 200,000 Iraqis lost their lives and the country remains deeply scarred, the economy is devastated and the government is marred with sectarian battles. America's reputation is at rock bottom and the war left a dark mark on America’s global position.

Saudi Arabia has recently been in the headlines with its normalisation with Iran. Named after the tribe that came to dominate the Hijaz. Successive Saudi Kings have navigated the Kingdom through the discovery of oil, the Cold War and 9/11. Saudi faces many challenges going forward much like its history

How do we make sense of the world? There is so much going on at any given time, what are the building blocks of geopolitics and how do we make sense of them. In this series of podcasts, we begin with looking at the how to do this. 

Germany today is the industrial powerhouse of Europe, sitting at the centre of the continent. But its had difficult relations with many of its neighbours leading to devastating wars. In this podcast our Europe analyst Massihollah Rohparwar, who is based in Hamburg outlines the geopolitics of Germany.

The 24th February marks the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The conflict looks very far from ending anytime soon and a Russian victory that everyone was expecting didn't come to pass. There hasn't been a nuclear war yet or WW3 but all the major powers are involved in different ways. In this podcast we asses where the war stands after one year

Nigeria goes to the polls on the 25th February 2023 to elect the President, Vice President, Senate and House representatives. The West African nation has for long been seen as a developing nation which led Goldman Sachs to label the African nation as one of the MINT nations in 2014 who along with Mexico, Indonesia and Turkey have the potential in the long term to move up the economic ladder and become developed nations due to their latent potential. 

Pakistan faces a perfect storm as numerous crises have all converged at the same time. From spiralling inflation to the national debt, Pakistan is fast approaching a national meltdown. Pakistan's rulers are busy trying to show the IMF they are worthy of a bailout as her usual lenders in the Gulf as well as China have had enough bailing out the South Asian nation. Is Pakistan about to become a failed state?

Recently there was a standoff on the Kosovo-Serbia border. This was after Kosovo ordered drivers to surrender their Serbian-issued licence plates and replace them with Kosovo plates. Serbs living in northern Kosovo started erecting barricades and Kosovo residents confronted them. A traffic jam ensued, and so did a small shootout. The shooting has now died down but the threats have continued. A shootout over licence plates may seem excessive, but this is the Balkans, the region where a shootout led to WW1 and where today many ethnicities live in relatively small areas where the political borders don’t match the ethnic borders. Adnan Khan sits down with Petret Salmani who is from the Balkans to make sense of the tensions as well as the broader region

The French emerged at the centre of Europe becoming the first nation to embrace liberal values on the continent. In time France become a global power establishing colonies and spreading French culture and values. But the French have struggled after two world wars with Germany to maintain a leading position in the world with many questioning the future of France as a power in the world. 

As 2023 fast approaches Geopolity looks at some of the key issues that are likely to take place as well as some of the major events that will shape the year.