Curious Worldview

Article On The Interview With Rudyard Lynch🎙️: https://atlasgeographica.com/interview-whatifalthist-rudyard-lynch/

Whatifalthist - Rudyard Lynch - Youtube's Biggest Geopolitics & Alt History Channel - An Interview With The Creator Of Whatifalthist About Youtube, Geopolitics, History & More!

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Link To Rudyard's Channel - Whatifalthist 

• Whatifalthist

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Are you into Nassim Taleb? I run a Nassim Taleb podcast covering all the wonderful ideas found in the 5 part Incerto series.
View here - https://theincertonassimtalebpodcast.buzzsprout.com/

The Geopolitics & Power Podcast - This is my brand new podcast where we will cover everything from giant infrastructure projects, to natural resources, to other interesting stuff!
Check it out - https://geopoloticsandpowerpodcast.buzzsprout.com/

Also - I am writing a lot online, so visit the website and let me know what you think! - https://atlasgeographica.com/​

Article On The Interview With James Robinson🎙️: https://atlasgeographica.com/james-robinson-interview/

James Robinson is a British economist and political scientist. He studies what makes countries different by focusing on the underlying economic and political institutions that lead some to prosperity and others to conflict. He most famously co-authored the international best selling book, Why Nations Fail.

He has conducted research in many countries around the world including Botswana, Chile, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, the Philippines, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Colombia and I am sure many more as well.

The coolest and most insightful takeaway from 'Why Nations Fail' is the long explanation that distinguishes between inclusive and extractive institutions. This dynamic explains ultimately 'Why Nations Fail' and Why Nations Succeed. The book is strongly endorsed by Jared Diamond - which was the initial reason why I picked it up, but once you get into it it is the historical anecdotes that keep you around.

I could have spoken to James for hours, for me the most fascinating topic is how and why nations differ - so you can imagine, this chat meant specifically a lot to me.

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Link's To Books & Articles Mentioned 

• Why Nations Fail 
• Africa's Latent Assets

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LEAVE YOUR ENERGY IN THE ALGORITHM - 5 STARS & SUBSCRIBE!

Are you into Nassim Taleb? I run a Nassim Taleb podcast covering all the wonderful ideas found in the 5 part Incerto series.
View here - https://theincertonassimtalebpodcast.buzzsprout.com/

The Geopolitics & Power Podcast - This is my brand new podcast where we will cover everything from giant infrastructure projects, to natural resources, to other interesting stuff!
Check it out - https://geopoloticsandpowerpodcast.buzzsprout.com/

Also - I am writing a lot online, so visit the website and let me know what you think! - https://atlasgeographica.com/​

Article For This Podcast: https://atlasgeographica.com/ghaidaa-hetou/

Ghaidaa Hetou Ph.D. is the founder of iStrategic. 

Dr. Hetou guides the development and oversees the operational efficiency of iStrategic. She is a consultant and advisor on Middle East and North Africa affairs, specializing in political risk analysis, foreign policy, political economy, geopolitics, and business strategies. Dr. Hetou also writes a weekly Op-Ed in Forbes Middle East.

I was fascinated by the depth of her insights and could have spoken with her for hours on this topic. For me the most exciting moment of the podcast comes towards the end with the discussion of China's Belt & Road Initiative. 

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Links To Ghaidaa's Work.

• Ghaidaa Is The Founder & CEO Of iStrategic, A Political Risk firm of the MENA region.

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LEAVE YOUR ENERGY IN THE ALGORITHM - 5 STARS & SUBSCRIBE!

Are you into Nassim Taleb? I run a Nassim Taleb podcast covering all the wonderful ideas found in the 5 part Incerto series.
View here - https://theincertonassimtalebpodcast.buzzsprout.com/

The Geopolitics & Power Podcast - This is my brand new podcast where we will cover everything from giant infrastructure projects, to natural resources, to other interesting stuff!
Check it out - https://geopoloticsandpowerpodcast.buzzsprout.com/

Also - I am writing a lot online, so visit the website and let me know what you think! - https://atlasgeographica.com/​

Article For This Podcast: https://atlasgeographica.com/dan-mcdougall-interview/

Dan McDougall is a Film Director, Writer and British Foreign Correspondent of the Year - the UK equivalent of a Pulitzer Prize, an award for which he has been nominated for three times. 

To date, Dan has won four Amnesty International Awards for Human Rights Reporting. Dan has done all this alongside an extraordinary but also harrowing career of writing and reporting from all corners of our wonderful globe. 

The issues he covered were as diverse as child rape in South Africa, LGBT persecution in Syria, the plight of Europe’s Roma population, Zimbabwe’s deadly trade in Blood Diamonds, African migration across the Med into Europe, the uncovering illegal sweatshops in India, the opium trade in Afghanistan, sexual violence in Congo, child labour in the cotton fields of the Nile Valley, and much, much more.

Dan is a charming Scotsman, a Glaswegian to be precise, and is truly one of the great international journalists of our lifetime. 

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Links To Dan's Work.

• Miran Media
• Dan's Guardian Profile
• Dan's work and collectively his many stories is distributed across many different publications.

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LEAVE YOUR ENERGY IN THE ALGORITHM - 5 STARS & SUBSCRIBE!

Are you into Nassim Taleb? I run a Nassim Taleb podcast covering all the wonderful ideas found in the 5 part Incerto series.
View here - https://theincertonassimtalebpodcast.buzzsprout.com/

The Geopolitics & Power Podcast - This is my brand new podcast where we will cover everything from giant infrastructure projects, to natural resources, to other interesting stuff!
Check it out - https://geopoloticsandpowerpodcast.buzzsprout.com/

Also - I am writing a lot online, so visit the website and let me know what you think! - https://atlasgeographica.com/​

Article On This Podcast - https://atlasgeographica.com/eco-curious-conversations/

I was recently joined in discussion by an old friend of mine in Katherine Kearney alongside her partner in podcasting crime, Sarah Monroy. Together, they host the Eco-Curious Conversations podcast.

The Eco-Curious Conversations podcast explores both from a theoretical and practical perspective everything climate change and how and an individual might be able to contribute their difference to the cause.

When we sat down together a couple of weeks ago, it was exactly those topics we discussed. 

• How do you avoid nihilism in the face of climate exchange?
• How taxing is agriculture on the environment?
• And more!

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Listen to the Eco-Curious Podcast HERE:  Eco-Curious Conversations 

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LEAVE YOUR ENERGY IN THE ALGORITHM - 5 STARS & SUBSCRIBE!

Are you into Nassim Taleb? I run a Nassim Taleb podcast covering all the wonderful ideas found in the 5 part Incerto series.
View here - https://theincertonassimtalebpodcast.buzzsprout.com/

The Geopolitics & Power Podcast - This is my brand new podcast where we will cover everything from giant infrastructure projects, to natural resources, to other interesting stuff!
Check it out - https://geopoloticsandpowerpodcast.buzzsprout.com/

Also - I am writing a lot online, so visit the website and let me know what you think! - https://atlasgeographica.com/​

Article On This Podcast - https://atlasgeographica.com/paul-dillon-cocaine-in-australia/

Paul Dillon is the founder, director and head honcho at DARTA. DARTA stands for Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia. He is an expert on drug and alcohol use in Australia. 

I wanted to speak with Paul about cocaine in Australia. Drugs and alcohol are not something I really have any opinions on but cocaine is a whole nutha' thing. Cocaine in Australia is a trend that smacked me repeatedly back and forth in the face when I went home recently and it has since then occupied a gnawing space at the back of my mind.

Paul offered a measured analysis of the state of things and our conversation made a big impression on me changing the way I think about the issue. 

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Time Stamps

• 00:00 - Introduction.
• 01:15 - About DARTA & Paul Dillon.
• 02:50 - How Covid Impacted Drug Use & Supply In Australia.
• 12:54 - What Is The Most Consumed Drug In Australia?
• 16:52 - Australia's Shifting Attitude Towards Cocaine.
• 24:24 - Cocaine's Swelling Popularity Internationally.
• 30:40 - Cocaine Is Soaked In Blood.
• 36:35 - Let's Talk About Alcohol.
• 39:35 - Would You Legalise Drugs?
• 44:00 - Netherlands Have Not Legalised Marijuana. 
• 47:15 - Australia's Culture & Drug Use.
• 52:00 - The Alcohol-Free Beer Trend In Sweden.
• 56:15 - What Do You Think Addiction Is?
• 1:02:30 - A Conversation Between Any Two People Of History.

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LEAVE YOUR ENERGY IN THE ALGORITHM - 5 STARS & SUBSCRIBE!

Are you into Nassim Taleb? I run a Nassim Taleb podcast covering all the wonderful ideas found in the 5 part Incerto series.
View here - https://theincertonassimtalebpodcast.buzzsprout.com/

The Geopolitics & Power Podcast - This is my brand new podcast where we will cover everything from giant infrastructure projects, to natural resources, to other interesting stuff!
Check it out - https://geopoloticsandpowerpodcast.buzzsprout.com/

Also - I am writing a lot online, so visit the website and let me know what you think! - https://atlasgeographica.com/​

Article On The Interview: https://atlasgeographica.com/jack-weatherford-genghis-khan/

Jack Weatherford is an American author and academic who has positioned the relevancy and importance of Genghis Khan front and centre of Western consciousness and pop culture.

Jack is the recipient of the 'Order Of The Polar Star' which is Mongolia's highest national honour for foreigners. He is the author of many brilliant books, the most notable of which is half the subject of today's conversation - Genghis Khan & The Making Of The Modern World.

My conversation with Jack Weatherford can be broken down into three sections.

A Bit About Jack, Mongolian Culture, Economy & Politics.
A Bit About Genghis Khan & How He Shaped The Modern World.
A Bit About Genghis Khan & A Bit About Mongolia - How Do They Influence One Another?

Ultimately I am extraordinarily humbled by this opportunity I had with Jack Weatherford. He was generous with his time and also with his candidness. He is an inspiration to me and also I imagine anyone else out there with a lofty ambition to write something that genuinely leaves its mark.

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Time Stamps

00:00 - Introduction
03:18 - Why Did You Go To Mongolia At The Collapse Of The USSR?
05:32 - How Did Your Experiences Travelling The Silk Road Inform Your Understanding Of Genghis Khan?
11:25 - How Do You Pronounce Genghis Khan?
12:11 - How Were You Received As An American In The Former Soviet Union In The 90's?
17:40 - What Else Contributed With You Falling In Love With Mongolia?
23:55 - What Are Mongolian Crime Rates?
26:14 - Does A Nomadic Culture Create Trust?
31:00 - More On The Great Jewel Of Mongolia Being Its Culture.
34:39 - Are The Mongols A Proud Culture?
42:50 - How Did You Manage To Learn Mongolian?
47:22 - How Do You See Mongolia Overcome Their Bad Economic Hand?
54:37 - How Did They Secure The Ger?
56:58 - What Does Jack Make Of China's Attempted 'Cultural Genocide' Of Mongolian Culture In Inner Mongolia?
1:06:51 - A Broad Macro Take On China's Ongoing Relationship With Mongolia.
1:14:33 - The Anti-Mongol Propaganda That Has Carried On Through The Centuries Since Genghis Khan - Starting With Voltaire...
1:33:05 - Comparing Genghis Khan With Other 'Great Men' Of History.
1:38:00 - Genghis Khan & Meritocracy.
1:45:05 - How Good Where The Mongols On Horseback? How Good Of Warrios Were They?
1:52:08 - Revisionist History: Did The Mongols Decimation Of 13th Century Islamic World Change The Course Of Relgious Influence In History?
1:57:39 - What Cultural Themes From Genghis Khan's 13th Century Exist Through To Today's Current Day Mongolia?
2:05:08 - What Is One Example Of A Good Thing The USSR Did For Mongolia?
2:07:15 - More On The Cultural Themes From Genghis Khan To Today: Environmental Worship?
2:16:45 - Cultural Themes Carried From Genghis To Today: An Abhorence For Speaking Of Sickness & Death.
2:29:30 - Jack Weatherford's Great Analogy For Genghis Khan That Puts Into Perspective His Exceptionalism.
2:37:37 - A Message Of Inspiration
2:45:30 - A Reflection On Genghis Khan's Surging Popularity.
2:49:40 - Jack Weatherford On The World Not Having A Vision
3:04:00 - What Are You Writing Now?
3:06:00 - What Country Are you Most Bullish On & What Are The Two People You Wish You Could Witness A Conversation Between?
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Links To Jack's Books

Genghis Khan & The Making Of The Modern World - amazon.com/gp/product/B000FCK206/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
Links To The Rest Of Jack's Books Found Here - https://atlasgeographica.com/jack-weatherford-genghis-khan/

Read This As An Article Instead! 🎙️-  https://atlasgeographica.com/irina-slav/

Irina Slav is a freelance writer for many organisations and an expert on oil, energy, geopolitics and more.

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Time Stamps
00:00 - Introduction
03:05 - Do We Still Need The Oil Exploration Business?
08:54 - What Are The Oil Byproducts?
13:58 - Irina's Worldview
34:35 - How Does The Renewable Transition Effect Geopolitics?
44:36 - What Country Are You Most Bullish On?
48:06 - Conversation Between Any Two People Of History.
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LEAVE YOUR ENERGY IN THE ALGORITHM - 5 STARS & SUBSCRIBE!

Are you into Nassim Taleb? I run the only Nassim Taleb podcast on the internet covering all the wonderful ideas found in the 5 part Incerto series.
View here - https://theincertonassimtalebpodcast.buzzsprout.com/

The Geopolitics & Power Podcast - This is my brand new podcast where we will cover everything from giant infrastructure projects, to natural resources, to other interesting stuff!
Check it out - https://geopoloticsandpowerpodcast.buzzsprout.com/

Also - I am writing a lot online, so visit the website and let me know what you think! - https://atlasgeographica.com/

Vince Beiser joined me on the podcast recently. He is the author of The World In A Grain: The Story Of Sand.

Sand is the most important solid substance on Earth. It is not an exaggeration to assert that without it we don't have our modern civilisation.

Sand is the building block of modernity. It is the foundational input for cement, glass and even silicon, the stuff that builds our computer chips. Without sand, we cannot construct the awesome buildings that we do. We would not have the wonderful aesthetics and functionality of glass that we have. And we would, one could argue most importantly, not even be able to produce the semi-conductors which are so integral to our computers and therefore modern civilisation.

"Sand is to cities, what flour is to bread" Vince Beiser, author of the book - The World In A Grain: The Story Of Sand.

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00:00 - Introduction.
01:20 - How A Murder Drew Vince To Write A Book About Sand.
06:21 - How Sand Is The Most Important Substance On Earth.
08:54 - Different Gradations Of Sand.
12:06 - Does Sand Limitations Stifle The Promise Of Solar?
17:01 - Explaining How Sand Mining Decimates The Environment.
21:06 - Examples Of Where Sand Mining Has Caused Environmental Damage.
31:05 - Vince's Experience In One Of China's Largest Ghost Cities.
35:07 - How Much Sand Is There In The World?
38:20 - Do You Have Any Insight Into Why Spruce Pine Are So Secretive? 
40:15 - What About Sand Is Vince Most Passionate About?
43:12 - A Quick Word On What The World Would Look Like If We Never Invented Concrete.
48:13 - The Role Of Sand In Fracking.
52:35 - The Geopolitics Of Sand In The South-China Sea.
58:24 - What Country Are You Most Bullish On?
59:11 - Which Two People, Dead Or Alive, Would You Like To Witness A Conversation Between?
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Links To Vince Beiser's Work

Vince Beiser Website - vincebeiser.com 
The World In A Grain: The Story Of Sand & How It Transformed Civilisation - https://www.amazon.com/World-Grain-Story-Transformed-Civilization/dp/0399576428
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LEAVE YOUR ENERGY IN THE ALGORITHM - 5 STARS & SUBSCRIBE!

Are you into Nassim Taleb? I run the only Nassim Taleb podcast on the internet covering all the wonderful ideas found in the 5 part Incerto series.
View here - https://theincertonassimtalebpodcast.buzzsprout.com/

The Geopolitics & Power Podcast - This is my brand new podcast where we will cover everything from giant infrastructure projects, to natural resources, to other interesting stuff!
Check it out - https://geopoloticsandpowerpodcast.buzzsprout.com/

Also - I am writing a lot online, so visit the website and let me know what you think! - https://atlasgeographica.com/​

Tom Raftery is the Global VP, Futurist, and Innovation Evangelist for SAP, an inspirational keynote speaker and global influencer on how digitization and innovation are creatively disrupting our world.

I first heard Tom feature on Smarter Markets with Erik Townsend and was blown away by his optimistic worldview. True to his Irish roots, he communicated a narrative with charisma that is so often bumbled and fluffed around by his scientific comrades.

Renewable energy has a lot of bad PR working against it. There is certainly merit to being sceptical in the face of change, but since we know that our current energy consumption is destroying the planet why is the green message so hard to swallow?

Jump In On My Newsletter 📋 🔑 - https://atlasgeographica.com/subscribe/​

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00:00 - What Is A Futurist?
03:20 - Information Consumption
05:16 - Tom's Renewable Energy Worldview
22:30 - If Renewables Are Already More Efficient, Why Are They Not Cheaper?
33:54 - What Do You Estimate Is Most Unlikely To Transpire According To Your Worldview?
39:20 - What Is The Most Exciting Innovation You See?
44:07 - What Country Are You Most Bullish On?
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Links To Tom Raftery's Work

Tom Raftery Website - https://tomraftery.com/
Climate 21 - https://tomraftery.com/podcasts/
Digital Supply Chain Podcast - https://tomraftery.com/podcasts/
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LEAVE YOUR ENERGY IN THE ALGORITHM - 5 STARS & SUBSCRIBE!

Are you into Nassim Taleb? I run the only Nassim Taleb podcast on the internet covering all the wonderful ideas found in the 5 part Incerto series.
View here -https://theincertonassimtalebpodcast.buzzsprout.com

The Geopolitics & Power Podcast - This is my brand new podcast where we will cover everything from giant infrastructure projects, to natural resources, to other interesting stuff!
Check it out - https://geopoloticsandpowerpodcast.buzzsprout.com

Also - I am writing a lot online, so visit the website and let me know what you think! - https://atlasgeographica.com/