Talking Geopolitics

As we enter the second month of war in the Middle East, bombs continue to fly, and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz threatens a global crisis.

On this episode of Talking Geopolitics, GPF Chairman George Friedman joins host Christian Smith to discuss the military pressures facing Washington and Tehran, the expanding scope of the conflict, and what it can tell us about the future of war.

Visit http://www.geopoliticalfutures.com/gpf-newsletter for a free download from our Special Collection on the Middle East.

With the long-awaited meeting between Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping delayed until May, all eyes are on the two giants and the long shadow they cast on the Iran war and the world at large.

On this episode of Talking Geopolitics, GPF Chairman George Friedman joins host Christian Smith to discuss China's strategic restraint in the Middle East, economic fragility and rapprochement with the US, and the importance of Taiwan.

Visit http://www.geopoliticalfutures.com for world-class geopolitical analysis and discussion.

The US-Israeli war with Iran has no end in sight as strikes on both sides continue. With Iran's capitulation failing to materialize and the IRGC's true strength revealed, the conflict is in a state of evolution.

On this episode of Talking Geopolitics, GPF Chairman George Friedman joins host Christian Smith to discuss shifting US war aims, the rising price of oil as the Strait of Hormuz remains a critical chokepoint, and just how long this all might last.

Visit http://www.geopoliticalfutures.com for world-class geopolitical analysis and discussion, and to access our full 2026 Forecast: Re-anchoring the World.

As war rages in the Middle East, the future of Iran remains an open question. The same can be said for Lebanon, where exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and Israel have been taking place for more than a week.

On this episode of Talking Geopolitics, host Christian Smith is joined by Senior Analyst Hilal Khashan for a ground-level perspective on the escalating conflict in Lebanon, and to explore the broader regional impacts of the Iran war.

Visit http://www.geopoliticalfutures.com for world-class geopolitical analysis and discussion, and to access our full 2026 Forecast: Re-anchoring the World.

The ongoing US-Israeli strikes on Iran, which began over the weekend, come after a protracted period of tension, negotiations and military build-up. Tehran has now said it will attack U.S. assets in the region in response to the U.S. and Israeli strikes, which killed several top Iranian officials and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. 
So why, in a world where the U.S. is trying to withdraw from anything outside the Western Hemisphere, does the U.S. still care about Iran? Talking Geopolitics host Christian Smith is joined by GPF Chairman George Friedman to discuss how we got here, intelligence failures, and the future of the Iranian regime, which could look quite different or remain just a new version of the same. Visit www.geopoliticalfutures.com for world-class geopolitical analysis and discussion, and to access our full 2026 Forecast: Re-anchoring the World.