It's hard to get a good sense of why the price of oil can vary between $150 and $30 per barrel. There are a lot of factors behind the price, but in the end it all comes down to supply and demand. In this episode we break down how supply and demand have changed to drive down the price... and discuss what might change in the future.

The story gets complicated fast: shale, tar sands, Iran, Russia, the Arctic, China, and hippies all get some airtime. We don't tell you what to think, but we do help you break it down.

Just note: we're not financial advisers and this isn't financial advice. 

• Brent spot price: https://ycharts.com/indicators/brent_crude_oil_spot_price

• World oil production: ...

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We've made a nuclear deal with Iran, and everyone that hasn't read the darn thing has a very strong opinion on it. In addition to understanding the deal in detail, we need to understand the history of Iran and the Middle East to get a good sense of whether the deal is a good idea or not. And, given that it's locked in, where do we go next?

• (Book) Dr. Harasta, Jesse & Charles River Editors. "The History of the Sunni and Shia Split: Understanding the divisions within Islam."
• https://csis.org/publication/iran-after-implementation-day 
• IEAE Report on implementation day: 

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• The Peloponnesian War
• "Demagogue" Wikipedia Page
• Joshua Greene's Moral Tribes

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In our first "meaty" episode, Xander and Erik tackle ISIS, with such awesome questions as:

1. What considerations should govern how we try to take down ISIS?

2. Why is current policy against ISIS not working?

3. What's different about ISIS from enemies past that means we need a new strategy?

4. What about human nature and western politics keeps us from taking on ISIS in the right way?

Articles from the podcast:

• The Atlantic article, "What ISIS Really Wants"
• Samuel Huntington's Clash of Civilizations
• The really great Wikipedia page...

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ReConsider will help you become a better democratic citizen in 10 minutes a day or less, (or your money back!) which is probably more than you spend on your abs, but not by much. 

We help provide new context and insight on tough issues citizens face, help you understand why this context and insight isn't currently part of the national dialogue, and help you to better find that context in the future on your own.

In this ten-minute short, we get you excited about listening. 

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