The Red Line

The coldest battlefield in the world is opening up, and old regional rivalries are beginning to flare. This is moving trade routes from the US's backyard toward the Russians. A battle is about to begin for the far North, but only one side is really prepared. Russia is rolling out Arctic divisions, new bases and groundbreaking new missiles which threaten the US naval dominance across the world's oceans. Are these new missiles going to make carriers obsolete or are they just the next step in the rapidly changing landscape? We pose this question to our panel of experts. This weeks experts  Marlene Laurelle Stephanie Pezard Paul Josephson Rob Huebert More info available at - www.theredlinepodcast.com Follow the show on @theredlinepod or Michael on @MikeHilliardAus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Private militaries or PMC's have been popping up in all of the worlds conflict zones, guns for hire being paid to the dirty work nation-states don't want to do. Is this the future of war or is this a slippery slope that takes all the accountability out of the battlefield? This week we do a deep dive into the Wagner group (Putin's private army) and Blackwater/Frontier Services Group (Erik Princes Hong Kong-based White House hit squad). We go through what they have been up to, and where they are likely to pop up over the next few years Guests this week are Sean McFate Alex Kirsch Sahar Khan and Candace Rondeaux Follow the show on @TheRedLinePod Follow Michael on @MikeHilliardAus More info at www.theredlinepodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Venezuela, home to the largest proven oil reserves in the world was once the jewel of South America, the envy of the Latin world, but now the country sits on the brink of collapse.  Venezuela has gone so far now that other nations like China, Russia, and the US have begun circling like hungry vultures, looking to smash apart the nation and divide up the assets. So this week we sit down and ask where will it all go, how did we get here and what is next for this South American titan. Giancarlo Fiorella -  (Bellingcat institute) Nick Mutch - (Conflict Journalist) Christopher Sabatini -  (Chatham House) More info at -- www.theredlinepodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Libyan civil war is ramping to a climax, general Haftars forces have arrived at the gates on the capital Tripoli and the entire world is taking sides. Russia, the UAE, Turkey, France, Italy, Qatar and Egypt are all throwing fuel onto this already raging fire, not realising those flames are unlikely to remain contained inside Libya.  Three huge guests for this episode.  Jonathon Winer (Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the USA) Jalel Harchaoui  Tarek Magerisi For more information check out -- www.theredlinepodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Foreign aid is one of the most misunderstood parts of any nations budget, why would a country give money to another country when they have hungry people at home? What people may not realise is that that 0.22% of your budget may be the only thing standing between you and your enemy setting up its armed forces in your backyard.  This weeks guests are  Matt Mcdonald Tess Newton Cain and Will Clapton More info at >> www.theredlinepodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Raphael Cohen, a US Air Force strategy advisor at RAND; Jeffrey Miser, a politics professor expert on power and the Middle East; Yeh Morish, geopolitics podcaster focused on Iran’s economy and strategy; and Hilal Kashan, Beirut-based Iran scholar. They discuss why US–Iran tensions keep rising. They explore Iran’s politics and resilience. They examine military feasibility, regional fallout, economic risks, and maritime chokepoint threats.

Kyrgyzstan stands at one of the most important decisions the country will ever make about its future, to look toward Moscow or to look toward Beijing.... The Kyrgyz people live upon some of the most important real estate in all of Asia, and now all the superpowers are beginning to compete for access to this vital crossroad. Guests are Chris Schwatz - (University of Leuven) Erica Marat - (National Defence University) Alexander Cooley (Columbia University) For more information please visit  >> www.theredlinepodcast.com   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2020 is set to be one of the most impactful years for human history, where we will make choices that will steer our future for a decade to come. With critical elections, wars, and crises set to shape the next 12 months, next year will be year will we discuss in history classes for generations. We sit down with three of the world's top experts to see what they think will be the biggest stories for 2020. This weeks guests are Andrew Hindmoor (University of Sheffield) Jake Hanrahan (Popular Front) and Brian Glyn Williams (CIA and NSA advisor) For more information please visit  >> www.theredlinepodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Between Moldova and Ukraine lies the breakaway republic of Transnistria the last nation to hold the hammer and sickle upon its flag, this unrecognized nation doesn't exist on any map but does hold the entire balance of power in Eastern Europe. This is the last barrier between the encroachment of the EU and the heartlands of Russia, so to better understand this breakaway republic we turn to 3 expert witnesses. The week we speak to  Tyrone Shaw (University of Northern Vermont) Dmitri Tokarev (University of Tiraspol) Kristaps Andrejsons (Host of the Eastern Border) For more information please visit  >> www.theredlinepodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The UK has been polarised and dragged to a stop over the biggest issue to face the country since WW2....Brexit. With the government paralyzed the mandate has been turned back to the people with an early election, son we sit down with 3 expert guests to analyze what each party stands for and what they offer to right the path of Britain.  Guests this week Peter Sloman (University of Cambridge) Imke Henkel (University of Lincoln) Alan Wager (Kings College London) For more information please visit  >> www.theredlinepodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices