The Decision Advantage

Update on the Battle for Mosul

As Iraqi forces prepare along the eastern shore of the Tigris river for the next phase in the battle to retake Mosul from the Islamic State, Stratfor Senior Military Analyst Omar Lamrani, Senior Analyst Sim Tack and Middle East and North Africa Analyst Emily Hawthorne return to the Stratfor Talks podcast to discuss the fight ahead and more importantly, the geopolitical challenges that will follow.

Then in part two of the podcast, Stratfor’s Faisel Pervaiz sits down with Vice President of Strategic Analysis Rodger Baker to discuss how geopolitical analysis and forecasting can help businesses succeed.

Russia: From the Cold War to Today

The Soviet Union collapsed 25-years ago, but Russia today is now reasserting itself on the international stage. To learn more about developments in Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union and a look at what’s ahead, Stratfor Senior Eurasia Analyst Lauren Goodrich joins the Stratfor Talks podcast.

Then Stratfor Sub-Saharan Africa Analyst Stephen Rakowski answers one of our listener questions about challenges to economic development in Africa and South Asia Analyst Faisel Pervaiz returns to the podcast to explain how Pakistan’s geography continues to shape that nation’s foreign policy.

Inauguration Security

When President-elect Donald Trump becomes the 45th President of the United States on January 20, a massive, multi-agency effort will roll out across Washington D.C. to ensure inauguration security. To get a sense of what that security effort looks like, Stratfor Chief Security Officer Fred Burton joins the Stratfor Talks podcast to share his experience having worked on security details for past presidential inaugurations. Then Stratfor Vice President of Strategic Analysis Rodger Baker and Senior Analyst Sim Tack discuss military options to address North Korea’s nuclear program and what the implications of a military strike would be.

2016 in Review

2016 proved to be a particularly interesting year on the geopolitical stage. As Stratfor said last year in our annual forecast, "the defining events of 2016 will raise apprehension around the world, leading into what will likely be an even more tumultuous 2017 as an array of developing conflicts comes into sharper focus." To delve deeper into what happened, where things stand and what lies ahead, Stratfor Vice President for Global Analysis Reva Goujon returns to the podcast to discuss our scorecard for 2016. As guest host Cole Altom says, the passage of time is the ultimate vindication so we'll look at lessons learned, Stratfor's unique methodology and a peek at the year ahead.
 
Then Vice President for Africa Operations Mark Schroeder answers one of our listener questions about the relationship between South Africa and the rest of the continent and Evan Rees from Stratfor's editorial team highlights some of our picks from this year's holiday gift guide.

75th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor

December 7 marks the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. In this special edition of the Stratfor Talks podcast, host Ben Sheen interviews three analysts about issues and trends related to the attack that continue to unfold. Senior Military Analyst Omar Lamrani explores the evolution of Japan as a maritime power since the end of World War II. Then we examine the ongoing trend of Japanese normalization with Stratfor Vice President of Strategic Analysis Rodger Baker. And Senior Analyst Sim Tack looks at the nature of and challenges posed by strategic intelligence failures from Pearl Harbor to today.

The Future of Europe

From waves of migration to Brexit and an ever evolving political landscape, 2016 challenged the very foundation of the European Union. At the beginning of the year, Stratfor forecasted European fragmentation as a key trend that would shape global developments. In the latest episode of the Stratfor Talks podcast, Stratfor analysts Adriano Bosoni and Mark Fleming-Williams explore what the future of Europe will look like going forward.

Then in part two of the podcast, Stratfor Vice President of Global Analysis Reva Goujon and Vice President of Strategic Analysis Rodger Baker examine how demographics can help indicate the potential economic success of a nation, highlighting current demographics in Japan as a case study.

U.S. Foreign Policy Implications of a Trump Presidency

On November 8, the United States elected Donald Trump as its next president. President-elect Trump does not officially take office until January 20, 2017, but the question of what a Trump presidency could mean for U.S. foreign policy is already circling the globe. Two of Stratfor’s lead analysts, Vice President of Global Analysis Reva Goujon and Vice President of Strategic Analysis Rodger Baker, sit down to discuss that very question and offer some context for this ongoing conversation in the latest episode of the Stratfor Talks podcast.

Then Deputy Editor Lynn Wise speaks with Stratfor Senior Eurasia Analyst Lauren Goodrich about the role geography plays in Russia’s historical pattern of expansion and contraction.

Geopolitics, Science & Disruptive Technologies

Disruptive technologies can potentially lead to major geopolitical shifts. In the latest Stratfor Talks podcast, Science and Technology Analyst Rebecca Keller looks at several emerging fields and how they may reshape current global trends. Then Senior Analyst Sim Tack sits down to discuss Strafor’s Focal Point series of satellite imagery and how it contributes to Stratfor’s broader strategic intelligence analysis.