In this Orion Talks episode, hosted by Suat Cubukcu, Dr. Imdat Oner joins the conversation to unpack Venezuela’s sudden political turning point following the capture of Nicolás Maduro and his transfer to the United States. Dr. Oner examines the immediate fallout in Caracas, the rise of interim president Delcy Rodríguez, and the competing forces, domestic and international, now shaping the transition. From Washington’s strategic aims and regional reactions to risks of internal conflict, the future of Venezuelan oil, and the response of Maduro’s allies in Moscow, Beijing, and Ankara, the discussion lays out three possible paths ahead—the good, the bad, and the ugly—and what a truly stable Venezuela would require in the long run.

In this episode, host Marta Furlan talks with Fola Aina about the current security situation in Nigeria and the threat posed by Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province. The episode starts with Dr. Aina giving a comprehensive and detailed overview of the current status of the Boko Haram and ISWAP insurgency in Nigeria. He then moves on to talk about the recent targeting of farmers' communities and the strategic reasons behind those. He also gives important information about the funding strategy of the Islamist insurgency, reflecting on how the two groups finance their activities. To conclude the conversation, Dr. Aina reflects on the most important initiatives that have been taken to counter Boko Haram and ISWAP and gives his thoughts on how those measures should be strengthened and made more effective.

In this episode of Orion Talks, host Marta Furlan talks with Héctor Camilo Morales Muñoz about the current situation in Colombia. The conversation starts with an overview of the current political and security climate in Colombia, with some reflections on where the country stands half a year before the elections in May 2026. Morales Muñoz then proceeds to reflect on the relations between Colombia and its South American neighbors, focusing on issues of climate diplomacy and environmental peacebuilding. From there, the conversation expands to discussing the relations between Colombia and the US, which have seemed particularly tense during the latest UNGA in New York.

In this episode of Orion Talks, host Marta Furlan talks with Mehmet Metehan Ciftci about the socio-political harms linked to the mining of critical minerals. The conversation starts with Mete explaining the paradox of green minerals being extracted in the Global South, where their harmful impacts are felt, and end technologies being enjoyed in the Global North. He then reflects on conflicts surrounding lithium mining and expands on what makes lithium conflicts different from others. From there, he zooms in on the South America region and the role of Indigenous communities: while not everyone among them is against mining, many Indigenous people have been involved in conflicts and looked for innovative ways of responding to the mining. He concludes by sharing his thoughts on how the tension between the goals of the energy transition and responsible mining can be balanced.

In this episode of Orion Talks, host Marta Furlan speaks with Dr. Joshua Walker about the current conflict and peace dynamics in the Eastern DRC. Following M23’s capture of Goma and Bukavu in late January 2025, Dr. Walker starts by describing the state of the current peace processes. Highlighting the role and leverage of Qatar and the US, Dr. Walker compares their efforts with the shortcomings of past mediation efforts. He then explains how domestic politics in the DRC and regional dynamics have been influencing the M23 conflict, and their role in the current peace processes. From there, he offers his thoughts on the role that the Eastern DRC's richness in natural resources has been playing in the conflict, questioning the dominant narrative whereby the conflict is exclusively driven by natural resources.

In this episode of Orion Talks, host Marta Furlan talks with Dr Nicholas Barnes on criminalized governance inside some of Rio de Janeiro's favelas. After sharing the process that led him to focus his research on political violence and non-state governance as observed in some of Rio's neighborhoods, Dr Barnes explains how the gangs that control favelas develop relationships with the communities living there. He explains the combination of coercion and benefits that the gangs use to obtain obedience and cultivate support, as well as the changes that these strategies undergo over time and space. He completes the discussion by noting some of the ways in which community members themselves use different tools and strategies to influence gangs' behavior. Dr Barnes then explains the concept of criminalized governance as opposed to the more widely used criminal governance. He also reflects on how criminalized governance relates to other forms of non-state governance, such as rebel governance. To conclude, Dr Barnes builds on his research and direct experience in Rio and shares his thoughts on how authorities should and could navigate the challenges posed by the presence and activities of those gangs in some of Rio's neighborhoods.

In this episode of Orion Talks, host Marta Furlan talks with Prof. David Des Roches on the recent developments in Yemen as the US revisits its approach to the country under President Trump. Prof. Des Roches starts by discussing the US approach to Yemen and the Houthis, over the past years - from the first to the second Trump Presidency, passing through Biden's time in office. As he does so, he illuminates the differences in approach as well as respective strengths and weaknesses. He then helps us to make sense of the US' recent re-designation of the Houthis as FTO and operations against Houthi targets. He emphasizes the possible effectiveness of this approach and how it connects with President Trump's strategy towards Iran. To conclude, he reflects on how regional countries position themselves vis-a-vis these developments and offers his thoughts on the implications that the new US administration's approach may have for the Red Sea/Gulf region.

In this episode of Orion Talks, host Marta Furlan talks with Mr Abdulghani Al-Iryani on the recent developments in Yemen as the US revisits its approach to the country under President Trump. To start, Mr. Al-Iryani offers an overview of the current state of affairs in Yemen, focusing on the conflict between the Houthis and the internationally recognized government and the conflict between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, which prior to October 7th seemed to have made some significant progress in their bilateral talks. From there, My Al-Iryani proceeds to discuss the US re-designation of the Houthis as FTO and the recent US military attacks on Houthi targets in Yemen, reflecting on the significance and the consequences of those moves. He then presents the reactions that the Houthis and people in Yemen have had to the US strikes, as well as the position taken by regional countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Iran.

In this episode of Orion Talks, host Marta Furlan talks with Mr. Giorgio Cafiero on the approach of the Gulf monarchies towards the new government in Syria led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and we will discuss how Gulf countries may end up shaping future events in Syria. After reviewing the posture that the GCC countries maintained towards Syria during the years of the civil war, Mr Cafiero proceeds to discuss how GCC countries reacted to the collapse of the Assad regime and what they have been saying in their public statements. From there, he goes into more detail, discussing how Syrian-Saudi, Syrian-Emirati, and Syrian-Qatari relations may be expected to move forward under the new Syrian government. In conclusion, Mr Cafiero offers his thoughts on the role of the GCC countries in shaping future events in Syria and the role of GCC countries in influencing the posture of the Trump Administration towards the new Syrian government.

In this episode of Orion Talks, host Marta Furlan talks with Mr. Marcos Sebares Jimenez-Blanco on the battle of narratives around Syria. With the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, Russia and Iran have lost an important ally in the Middle East that was key to their capacity to advance their military, strategic, and geopolitical goals in the region. Mr Sebares explains how Moscow and Teheran have been using their information systems to try to shape, or re-shape, the narrative surrounding developments in Syria. While doing so, he points to the methods and strategies used, as well as to differences and similarities in the two countries' approaches. Importantly, Mr Sebares also discusses how the current efforts of Russia and Iran to manipulate information compare to the approach that they followed in the past, throughout the years of the Syrian civil war. He also discusses what the West could do to counter foreign (Russian-Iranian) information manipulation over Syria. To conclude the episode, Mr Sebares shares his thoughts on the new HTS-led government sharing information or misinformation on certain crucial issues, such as the treatment of Syria’s religious minorities.