The Decision Advantage

When James Grady wrote, "Six Days of the Condor" in 1973, he had no idea his work of spy fiction would see repetition in the real world. But from an international assassination to a complete government-run espionage department, that's what happened. More than 40 years after the book was first published. with a TV series and several sequels to boot behind him, Grady says, his hero is still human. "One thing that has changed completely," he says," is that society is so much more complex and individuals are more...isolated than we were in the 1970's. The digital revolution has made it harder to separate fact from theory from propaganda from downright manipulation, which is the opposite of what people would have said at the dawn of the information age. But also, there are more and different kinds of ...bad actors now than there ever have been... in part due to fragmentation of society." And that makes today's world infinitely more vexing when it comes to security, geopolitics and diplomacy than the bad old days of the Cold War.

In this episode of the Stratfor podcast, we hear from Zahra Hankir, a journalist based in Beirut, Lebanon, about a collection of essays she has compiled. The essays are a unique - and unprecedented - look into the lives of 19 women journalists who report for western media from and about the Middle Eastern and Arab world. From breaking with traditional female roles to reporting on civil war and its aftermath, these essays provide a remarkable glimpse into an often misunderstood world.

In this podcast, Stratfor's South Asia Analyst, Faisel Pervaiz, speaks with Ambika Vishwanath about India's water challenges. From floods to drought to later monsoons, India has been struggling to provide adequate water supplies to its 1.3 Billion citizens. Factor in the tensions between India and Pakistan and water-sharing agreement between the rivals known as Indus Water Treaty, which dictates the share of water each country receives from the Indus Water Basin, and it's easy to see why water is a hot geopolitical issue for India.

In this podcast, Stratfor's South Asia Analyst, Faisel Pervaiz, speaks with Ambika Vishwanath about India's water challenges. From floods to drought to later monsoons, India has been struggling to provide adequate water supplies to its 1.3 Billion citizens. Factor in the tensions between India and Pakistan and water-sharing agreement between the rivals known as Indus Water Treaty, which dictates the share of water each country receives from the Indus Water Basin, and it's easy to see why water is a hot geopolitical issue for India.

An interview with Mark Greaney (author of the Gray Man series of thrillers) and Lt. Col. H. Ripley Rawlings IV. Together they have written a gripping and realistic action thriller in which World War III emerges as a conflict between the West and Russia. In this novel, Russia creates a three-pronged front - testing the US military capabilities - in a gamble to lay claim to a rare mineral mine that will give Russia primacy over the entire world’s technology. Combining geopolitics, cover-to-cover action that include battles in the air, on land and sea, with great camaraderie among a small and desperate team, Stratfor's Fred Burton says he was hooked to the last page.

Continuing a conversation with Stratfor's Reva Goujon and Russell Gold about his new book, Superpower!, the two dig into the impacts of climate change on hydrocarbon-based and renewable energies, energy subsidies and even the 2020 race for US President.

When Neil Armstrong announced that the Eagle had landed on July, 20, 1969, the world listened. The first moon landing in July, 1969, was the culmination of a presidential resolution firmly anchored in a wartime -- albeit a cold war -- objective.

In what Stratfor's Vice President of Global Analysis, Reva Goujon calls, "required reading," Wall Street Journal Energy Reporter, Russell Gold, tells the story of Michael Skelly, who foresaw an energy transition in the U.S from fossil-based to clean power.  The following description comes from Russell Gold's Amazon book page for SuperPower! One Man's Quest to transform American Energy. Skelly, "an infrastructure builder who began working on wind energy in 2000, when many considered the industry a joke. Eight years later, Skelly helped create the second largest wind power company in the United States—which was sold for $2 billion. Wind energy was no longer funny; it was well on its way to generating a substantial percentage of the electricity in the United States."

Hear a fascinating discussion about the global energy transformation underway and Russell Gold's take on the US energy picture. 

In what Stratfor's Vice President of Global Analysis, Reva Goujon calls, "required reading," Wall Street Journal Energy Reporter, Russell Gold, tells the story of Michael Skelly, who foresaw an energy transition in the U.S from fossil-based to clean power.  The following description comes from Russell Gold's Amazon book page for SuperPower! One Man's Quest to transform American Energy. Skelly, "an infrastructure builder who began working on wind energy in 2000, when many considered the industry a joke. Eight years later, Skelly helped create the second largest wind power company in the United States—which was sold for $2 billion. Wind energy was no longer funny; it was well on its way to generating a substantial percentage of the electricity in the United States."

Hear a fascinating discussion about the global energy transformation underway and Russell Gold's take on the US energy picture. 

There are studies that indicate that the speed at which constantly evolving geopolitical events affect people, businesses and nations - from diplomacy to international security to societies and everything in between - and how much information is available to consume - can make individuals feel bombarded, or attacked. That can cause stress or anxiety and have real physical health effects.