Two shadowy Russians flew to the United Arab Emirates to free Horatiu Potra, a Romanian security expert and ex-French Foreign Legionnaire, out of a Dubai jail after he was arrested in September. Rather than fly to Russia—as he almost did—Potra has decided to go back to Romania to face trial along with former Romanian Presidential candidate Calin Georgescu, who was charged with attempting to stage a coup in the country.

Listen as we dive into why he would go back and what this means for the European Union and the ongoing war in Ukraine, which we don’t see ending anytime soon.

We love to hear from our audience and the On the Fringe community! If you enjoyed the episode, send us a message, drop a comment, or give us a rating!

Thanks and take care!

Dave and Gav

Shoot us a message at [email protected]—No tin foil hat required!

This Substack is reader and listener-supported. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Hey all! This week, we are taking you back to West Africa and building on our last episode about a growing jihadist influence in this corner of the world.

Bamako is a city running out of time. With little fuel, the city is entering an existential crisis as neighboring countries and major powers realize the ruling military junta’s days may be numbered, as does Gavin.

Whatever comes after though will likely be worse as this region continues to spiral. For more on what is happening in this part of the world, don’t miss a few of our other episodes.

Last week, we covered the kidnapping of a Christian missionary and pilot in neighboring Niger—in broad daylight. This will give you insight into what is going on on the ground, along with our quick episode about this neighboring country you don’t want to visit right now.

As always, thanks for listening! Take care and stay safe!

Dave and Gavin

Thanks for listening to On the Fringe! Feel free to share the podcast

This Substack is listener-supported. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. We really appreciate it!

Our map can be found here, courtesy of julesdhl on Reddit. Thank you, Stuart!

We’ve got a short, spontaneous (and timely!) bonus episode!

This time, Gav and Dave yak and spitball about a map comparing different foreign ministry’s threat assessments of Burkina Faso, a small but critically important country in West Africa. They all bear bad news, but they’re all just a little bit different.

We talk about what this means, and what it portends for the country of upright men.

To hear more about Burkina Faso, check out this episode: The Man of the Hour in West Africa, featuring Stuart.

If you like this style of episode, let us know! shoot us an email at [email protected]

Thanks as always for listening,

Dave and Gav

On this episode, Gavin takes a stroll down memory lane and talks in depth about Niger, a key country in the Sahel region of West Africa. Since October 21, Niger has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Just 100 yards from the Presidential Palace in Niamey, the country’s capital, Kevin Rideout, an American missionary and bush pilot was kidnapped by jihadist terrorists and is currently being held for ransom.

Our hearts, thoughts, and sincerest prayers go out to Kevin Rideout, his family, and his congregation.

What does this event mean for the country and the United States (and Americans in Niger) at a critical time for the country. Listen in and find out.

If you enjoyed the episode, please don’t forget to like, comment, or subscribe to On the Fringe. We sincerely appreciate it!

The flag of Niger was created by verdy_p and can be found here:

This week, Gav and Dave dive into the Gen Z protests/revolutions/unrest that are currently unfolding across the world and analyze some of the driving factors to this transformative moment that the mainstream media may be missing out on.

We also look into how the death of traditional political and economic institutions (accelerated by the emergence of AI, amongst other things) is creating a social environment where large classes of the population increasingly feel that they have nothing left to lose but their chains.

If you haven’t listened to it yet, don’t miss our previous episode, Season 3, Episode 12: the Front Lines of the AI Future featuring Sherman Tylawsky, an expert on civics.

As always, thanks a million for your support! We wouldn’t be here without you.

Reach out with any comments, questions, or fan mail: [email protected]

All the best from On the Fringe,

Gav and Dave

Approximate Timestamps:

0:21 — Episode Starts

1:15 — Sherman’s Intro and his Podcast, Friends and Fellow Citizens

4:37 — The context of George Washington’s 6 core values, then vs. now

10:15 — Institutional flexibility as a core to America’s foundation

13:50 — Personal identity in America

24:00 — Is technology cryptonite when put to institutions?

26:40 — Where does the battle to save institutions start?

30:10 — Why here first?

33:10 — The key traits and skills needed to protect society’s values

39:10 — The must-have secret weapon that everyone needs to know

Hey all! We have an awesome chat today with Sherman Tylawsky, a PhD candidate at the University of Alabama, and Founder of the George Washington Institute. Sherman is an expert on civics and the Founding Fathers, and the Host of Friends and Fellow Citizens, a podcast you need to check out if you’re interested in the foundation that built America (it’s linked below).

Human to human relationships and shared values have been at the crux of every major human achievement since the dawn of time, and were pivotal to pulling the United States together as a young nation—and keeping it together at times of crisis. As AI becomes more common in our everyday lives, how does the United States keep these values relevant in a less-human future? Listen and hear from an expert.

Hope you enjoy our chat, and leave us a message or comment to join in!

Thanks a million,

Dave, Gavin, and Sherman

Sherman’s Podcast Friends and Fellow Citizens

Sherman’s YouTube Channel

Sherman’s LinkedIn

Hey all! We have another episode piggybacking off our last episode. Season 3, Episode 10: How Scam farms are crippling Thailand’s tourism industry.

In this episode, Dave and Gav return to the Golden Triangle to talk about an unlucky (crime) family. In the last week, members of the Ming Organized Crime Group have been sentenced to death in the People’s Republic of China. Among the long list of crimes, their biggest sin was running one of the regions biggest scam centers…and one that made most of its money targeting Chinese citizens, both as forced labor in the scam farms and as victims.

We hash over the continued geopolitical mess caused by the rise of the scam farm economy in mainland Southeast Asia, cover how it isn’t going away anytime soon, and end with a warning.

If you liked the episode, don’t forget to like, comment, subscribe, or share.

Shoot us a message at [email protected]

Thanks and take care!

Dave and Gavin

The photo of the 18th National CCP Congress is from Wikimedia and can be accessed here:

Hey all! On this episode we look at Thailand, the former juggernaut of tourism in Southeast Asia.

Thailand is a country much loved here on On the Fringe, but lately it has struggled with a key sector in its economy, tourism. Whether it’s because of COVID, being in a rough neighborhood, or mixed messaging on key legislation, Thailand has been having a rough time staying competitive in the cut-throat world of global tourism.

This week, Gav and Dave hash out the tourism industry in Thailand, where it’s at, and where it’s going. If you’ve never been to Thailand and want to learn more about the country, or want to understand what is causing people to not visit, don’t miss this episode.

We’ve done several other podcasts on the Golden Triangle. Listen to them here:

Season 2, Episode 3: Pig Farming in the Golden Triangle (what this scam called Pig Farming is)

Season 2, Episode 25: It’s all coming down (the 7.7 earthquake + initial recovery in Myanmar in March 2025)

The Flag of Thailand is from Wikimedia commons.

This episode is subscribers only. To listen and get access to an exclusive series, type your email below.

Hey all! In this episode, you get a laugh at our expense, and hopefully some helpful advice on how to manage getting your haircut in a foreign country, especially when you have to navigate doing it a foreign language.

Listen to how you can avoid getting one of the worst haircuts of your life (and getting ripped off at the same time). Meanwhile, Gavin will tell you all about his close shave that was well…too close for comfort.

If you enjoyed it or know anyone who will be going abroad for some time (and they don’t want a mop growing on their head), send this their way.

As always, we sincerely thank YOU our subscribers for your extended support. If you’d like to subscribe as well, click below! We sincerely appreciate it!

Hey all! Apologies for taking a couple of extra days to get this one out—it’s worth the wait, though!

We cover the recent protests in Nepal, and dive into what is really going on behind the scenes in the heart of South Asia. Nepal might be far off the radar for most people, but for On the Fringe, it’s front and center. Listen to hear what Nepali youth in Kathmandu are fighting for, what drove them to a boiling point, and why they got off Discord and decided to set their world on fire—literally.

If you enjoyed the episode, please like, comment, share, and subscribe. We sincerely appreciate it and couldn’t be growing at the rate without YOU!

Thanks a million,

Dave + Gavin

The flag of Nepal on our cover is from Wikimedia and can be accessed here.