The Decision Advantage

As South Korea prepares to host the 2018 Winter Olympics just a short drive from its border with North Korea, we sit down to discuss security at the games in this episode of the podcast. From heightened political tension with North Korea to the ongoing security threats facing every iteration of the games, Stratfor Chief Security Office Fred Burton shares his experience working security at the Olympics during his time with the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service. He’s joined by Stratfor Worldview Contributor Austin Duckworth, a doctoral student in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education at The University of Texas at Austin. Duckworth’s work focuses on the intersection of security, international politics and sports.

Stratfor’s model of applied geopolitics always starts with geography. We look at how mountains, plains, rivers and mineral resources constrain a nation’s political, security and economic imperatives. In this episode of the Stratfor Podcast, we explore the increasing implications of water scarcity around the globe. Stratfor South Asia Analyst Faisel Pervaiz and Senior Science and Technology Analyst Rebecca Keller explore the nature of water scarcity and the challenge it poses to domestic and foreign policy with a particular eye toward India, Pakistan and the Indus Water Treaty of 1960.

The world isn’t getting any less complicated. Governments, international companies and globally engaged individuals face an ever-increasing mountain of information as they work to make sense of the news each day. The current international environment, however, doesn’t need to be difficult to understand if you know where to focus your energy. In this episode of the Stratfor Podcast, we share a keynote presentation that Vice President of Strategic Analysis Rodger Baker delivered at the 2017 Mackinder Forum. Baker outlines the principle of applied geopolitics that Stratfor was founded upon and explains how businesses, investors, governments and individuals can leverage geopolitical analysis and forecasting to inform strategic decision-making and better understand the underlying forces shaping world events.

As the world continues to focus on the 2016 U.S. presidential election and claims of Russian involvement more than a year later, Russia is preparing for its own presidential election season in 2018. In this episode of the Stratfor Podcast, Vice President of Global Analysis Reva Goujon sits down with Senior Eurasia Analyst Lauren Goodrich to discuss Russia’s upcoming election, growing economic pressure on the Kremlin, a cultural shift underway among Russia’s younger generation and what it all means for President Vladimir Putin’s grip on power.  

Have you ever wondered what the U.S. President’s top secret intelligence briefing is like? In this episode of the Stratfor Podcast, we ask former intelligence officer, manager and daily briefer at the CIA David Priess about his latest book The President’s Book of Secrets: The Untold Story of Intelligence Briefings to America’s Presidents.

Can you predict transformative world events? In this episode of the podcast we explore the past, present and future of black swan events and how geopolitically engaged individuals, investors or organizations can anticipate, or at least mitigate their exposure to, the next major geopolitical inflection point. We’ll discuss how historians and forecasters view the making of a black swan differently with Stratfor Worldview contributor Ian Morris. Then in part two, we’re joined by Visual Capitalist’s Jeff Desjardins to learn how billionaire investors mitigate against these international risks.  

Stratfor senior analysts delve into the world of digital ledger technology in this episode of the podcast to better understand what Bitcoin and Blockchain mean for the future. Stratfor Senior Science and Technology Analyst Rebecca Keller helps explain what Blockchain technology really is and how it’s connected to the already well-known Bitcoin. Then senior analysts Matthew Bey and Mark Fleming-Williams join the conversation to examine just how individuals and organizations are using this technology now and what potential applications it still promises going forward.  

In this episode of the podcast, Stratfor Chief Security Officer Fred Burton sits down with author Samuel M. Katz to discuss his latest book, The Ghost Warriors: Inside Israel’s Undercover War Against Suicide Terrorism. Katz explains the history of Israel’s elite, undercover units and the role they play in Israel’s security operations today. They also discuss how Katz and Burton first met many years ago on a United Nations General Assembly security detail.  

We explore the role of geopolitical intelligence in business today and how the evolution of globalization has changed the playing field for companies. In part one, Stratfor Editor-in-Chief David Judson sits down with Jay Ogilvy, director of Stratfor Worldview’s Board of Contributors. Then in part two, we hear an excerpt from a live webcast where Stratfor VP of Strategic Analysis Rodger Baker and IESE Business School Professor of Strategy Mike Rosenberg discuss how the geopolitical landscape for business has changed and how companies can adapt.

Back in 1987, journalist Charles Glass was held hostage in Lebanon for 62 days. After he escaped, Stratfor’s Fred Burton, then an agent with the US State Department was among those there to help. 30-years later, Burton sits down with Glass, now a Stratfor Worldview contributor, to discuss that experience. Then in part two of the podcast, Stratfor senior analysts discuss the geopolitical significance of maritime chokepoints.