Geopolitics & World
International affairs, defense, and regional topics
66 episodes
Bunkers and Bytes: The Secret World of Gov Clouds
How do you host the nation's secrets on the same tech that runs Netflix? Corn and Herman explore the high-stakes world of air-gapped government clo...
The Anatomy of Failure: Inside the Military Probe
Explore the internal mechanics of military probes and how institutions move past the blame game to diagnose systemic collapse.
The Dual Economy: Israel's Tech Boom and Social Bust
Israel’s tech success hides a growing economic divide. Herman and Corn discuss the shift from socialism to a "dual economy" and the housing crisis.
Vertical Safety Deposit Boxes: Jerusalem’s Ghost Apartments
Why are luxury towers rising in Israel's poorest city? Herman and Corn dive into the "ghost apartment" crisis and the future of urban housing.
From Partners to Rivals: The Israel-Iran Paradox
Explore the dramatic shift from secret alliances and joint missile projects to the modern "shadow war" between Israel and Iran.
The Art of the Leak: Psyops and Military Censorship
Why would a military report its own weaknesses? Herman and Corn dive into strategic deception, reflexive control, and the secrets of the censor.
The Scuff Mark Crisis: Navigating Fair Wear and Tear
Is a tiny scuff mark a financial time bomb? Herman and Corn explore the global legal battleground of rental maintenance and tenant rights.
Remote Work 2026: The Great Compromise and Polycentric Hubs
Are office mandates a sign of failure or a "Great Compromise"? Herman and Corn dive into the shifting landscape of remote work in 2026.
Behind the Iron Firewall: North Korea’s Secret Tech
Explore the walled garden of North Korea’s intranet, from the Mac-inspired Red Star OS to hardware that screenshots your every move.
Beyond the Fortress: The Evolution of Global Military Bases
Explore how modern military bases have evolved from fortresses to high-tech hubs and the complex trade-offs of hosting foreign troops on home soil.
Shadow Diplomats: The Truth About Honorary Consuls
Ever wondered why a regular house might fly a foreign flag? Discover the "DIY diplomacy" of honorary consuls and their strange legal perks.
Sovereign Bags: The Secret World of Diplomatic Pouches
In a digital age, why do governments still use physical bags? Explore the high-stakes world of diplomatic pouches and sovereign transit.
Subsea Secrets: How AI Taps the World's Fiber Optics
Herman and Corn reveal how governments ingest the internet through subsea cables and use Agentic AI to filter the global digital firehose.
Before the CIA: The Secret History of Spying
Before the CIA, spying was a world of forged wax seals and secret post offices. Discover how intelligence evolved into an institution.
The Invisible Enemy: Why Turbulence is Getting Worse
Is flying getting scarier or just better reported? Herman and Corn dive into the science of clear air turbulence and why the skies are changing.
Eyes in the Sky: The Secrets of Global Flight Tracking
Ever wonder why military planes show up on public maps? Herman and Corn dive into the world of ADSB data and the democratization of intelligence.
The Urban Paradox: Why Humans Choose to Live Together
From ancient Uruk to the "agricultural wall," explore why humans choose crowded cities over open spaces and the hidden costs of our urban obsession.
Escaping the Gridlock: Israel’s Car-Free Revolution
Can Israel break its car addiction? Herman and Corn explore the shift from gridlock to a human-scale, transit-first society.
Small Claims: The Express Lane of Justice
Discover how small claims court levels the playing field against corporate giants and why it’s the ultimate power move for the everyday consumer.
The Architecture of Resilience: How Governments Survive
What happens when the lights go out? Explore the secret world of government bunkers, redundant personnel, and hardened communication systems.
The $5,000 "Yuck": Navigating Israel’s Defamation Laws
In Israel, a one-word review can cost thousands. Herman and Corn explore why reputation often outweighs truth in the Israeli legal system.
Caught on Tape: The Global Maze of Recording Consent Laws
Can you legally record a private conversation? Explore the complex global landscape of one-party versus two-party consent laws.
The Rise of CBDCs: Financial Freedom or State Surveillance?
Explore the shift from cash to CBDCs. Are we entering an era of programmable money or just upgrading our legacy financial systems?
The Economic Island: Why Israel is So Expensive
Why is Israel one of the world's most expensive countries? Herman and Corn break down the monopolies and red tape driving up daily costs.
The Secret Language of Trade: A Guide to Incoterms
Demystify the complex world of international shipping and learn how Incoterms protect your business from costly logistics nightmares.
Fixing the Rental Crisis: Lessons from Around the Globe
Explore how the UK, Netherlands, and Vienna are reimagining housing as a fundamental right rather than a speculative asset.
The Frozen Frontier: Inside the Israel-Syria DMZ
Explore the complex history of the Golan Heights and the UN-monitored buffer zone where a decades-long ceasefire meets modern-day tension.
The Israeli Logistics Paradox: Why China is Faster Than Tel Aviv
Why is shipping from China to Israel faster than local delivery? Herman and Corn decode the "smart logistics" behind the AliExpress phenomenon.
Deterrence or Danger? Decoding the Signals of War
Is it a bluff or a real threat? Corn and Herman dive into OSINT to reveal the hidden logistical signals that separate posturing from invasion.
Jerusalem Unveiled: The Myth and Reality of a Divided City
Explore the divide between the celestial "Jerusalem of Above" and the gritty, fragmented reality of the "Jerusalem of Below" in this deep dive.
The Borders of Reality: From Micronations to Somaliland
When does a guy on an oil rig become a king? Herman and Corn explore the legal and geopolitical lines between micronations and actual states.
The Risk Paradox: Why the "Iron Wall" Failed
Explore the "risk paradox" and how the world’s most advanced border security system became its own single point of failure on October 7th.
The Ghost in the Radio: Why Number Stations Still Exist
Why do spies still use creepy radio broadcasts in 2026? Herman and Corn dive into the unbreakable math and physics of number stations.
The Shadow Analysts: How Private Intelligence Shapes the World
Why do CEOs pay for Stratfor when they have Reuters? Herman and Corn dive into the high-stakes world of private intelligence and global forecasting.
Inside the Mobile Fortress: The Secrets of Motorcades
Explore the tech, massive costs, and legal immunity behind the 40-car "mobile fortresses" used by world leaders like the US President.
Bulldozing Diplomacy: The Truth About UNRWA and Embassies
As Israel dismantles the UNRWA HQ in Jerusalem, we debunk the myth of "foreign soil" and explore the reality of diplomatic immunity.
The Invisible Architecture of Diplomacy: Inside Protocol
Discover the invisible rules of global power. Herman and Corn explore how flag placement and seating charts keep the world running smoothly.
The Legal Lasagna: Decoding Israel’s Layers of Law
Explore the fascinating mix of Ottoman ghosts, British skeletons, and high-tech statutes that form the bedrock of Israeli law in 2026.
Breaking the Blackout: CENO and the P2P Fight for Truth
When governments cut the internet, CENO turns users into a library. Explore how peer-to-peer tech is bypassing state censorship in Iran.
When Borders Drift: The High Stakes of Geodetic Math
Can a math error start a war? Explore how tectonic plate movement shifts international borders and the high-stakes precision of the Blue Line.
Beyond the Bunker: How Governments Plan for the End
Explore the high-stakes world of national war gaming and the shift from "just-in-time" efficiency to "just-in-case" resilience.
High-Altitude Spies: Why Planes and Balloons Beat Satellites
Why do we still use planes and balloons in the age of satellites? Herman and Corn explore the physics and politics of high-altitude spying.
Escaping the Rental Jungle: Why the Law Often Fails
Why does the rental market feel like a jungle despite new laws? Herman and Corn explore the gap between tenant rights and lived reality.
Beyond the Blackout: Tech for Digital Survival
When the grid goes dark, how do you get the truth out? Explore the high-stakes world of BGP hijacking, satellite jamming, and mesh networks.
Beyond the Mortgage: Is Home Ownership a Dying Dream?
Corn and Herman explore whether the drive to own a home is a biological instinct or an economic trap in an era of skyrocketing prices.
Undersea Cables: The Fragile Backbone of the Global Web
Think the internet is in the cloud? Think again. We explore the 1.4 million kilometers of undersea cables and the global race to protect—or tap—them.
The Digital Kill Switch: BGP, DPI, and Satellite Rebels
How do regimes turn off the web? Herman and Corn explore BGP hijacking, sovereign networks, and the satellite tech fighting back.
Beyond the Pixel: The New Era of Satellite Intelligence
Herman and Corn explore how AI and advanced satellites are stripping away the fog of war, from tracking footprints to seeing through clouds.
The End of Secrecy: How OSINT is Redefining Intelligence
Explore how hobbyists and satellites are revolutionizing intelligence, from tracking tanks on TikTok to high-res commercial space imagery.
Jerusalem’s Vertical Revolution: Skyscrapers vs. City Soul
Corn and Herman explore the rise of luxury towers in Jerusalem, the "ghost apartment" crisis, and how global cities fight urban displacement.
Why the World Runs on Zulu: The Secrets of Universal Time
Why do pilots and programmers rely on Zulu time? Herman and Corn dive into the atomic clocks and history behind the world's master clock.
The Drone Dilemma: Why Slow is the New Fast
Why is a $5,000 drone harder to stop than a Mach 4 missile? Explore the physics and economics of the modern drone warfare paradox.
Eyes in the Sky: The Physics of Global Missile Detection
Herman and Corn explore the high-stakes tech used to detect missile launches from thousands of miles away using infrared and radar systems.
The Invisible Highways: Mastering North Atlantic Tracks
Discover how the jet stream and invisible "highways" shape every flight across the Atlantic in this deep dive into the world of oceanic tracks.
The Hidden Politics of ISO Country and Currency Codes
Herman and Corn explore how ISO decides who gets a country code and why global data standards are more political than they look.
The Invisible Highway: Navigating Radio Frequency Hygiene
Discover the "invisible highway" of radio frequencies and why maintaining "RF hygiene" is critical for modern life and national security.
The High Cost of Flight: Aviation and Impact Accounting
Is flying at odds with a livable planet? Explore the physics of aviation, the limits of green fuel, and the true cost of impact accounting.
From Sand to Smart City: Building the Future Negev
Herman and Corn explore the engineering hurdles of building a sustainable, high-tech metropolis in the heart of the Negev desert.
The Accountability Gap: Why Your Vote Doesn't Have a Face
Why can’t you call your representative about a pothole? Explore the history and trade-offs of Israel’s unique national voting system.
The Fraying Social Contract: Inequality and Polarization
Herman and Corn explore why rising income inequality is fueling political polarization and how we can rebuild the social contract in 2026.
Shadow Webs: The Secret Military Internet Explained
Herman and Corn explore the "shadow internet," revealing how military networks use air gaps, dark fiber, and data diodes to stay secure.
Seconds to Impact: The Tech Behind Missile Defense Alerts
Discover the engineering behind missile detection, from space-based infrared sensors to the real-time alerts on your smartphone.
The Right to Breathe: Tobacco Policy and the Enforcement Gap
Explore the global divide in tobacco control, from Ireland’s success to Israel’s enforcement gaps, and the new "end-game" strategies of 2025.
Paying for Results: The Future of Government Spending
Herman and Corn dive into "Pay for Success." Should governments pay for activities or results? Discover the future of social impact funding.
The Silicon Arms Race: Why GPUs are the New Oil
Are high-end microchips the new enriched uranium? Herman and Corn dive into the high-stakes world of GPU export bans and global AI supremacy.
The High-Stakes Tech of Modern Missile Warfare
Explore the hidden world of modern missile navigation, from GPS spoofing to the hyper-precise Inertial Navigation Systems that guide weapons at hyp...