The Missing Piece [International]

Many people believe Donald Trump is a personalist because his leadership style prioritizes loyalty to him above all else—over political ideology, party platforms, or even institutional rules . He has reshaped the Republican Party into what scholars describe as a "personal political vehicle," where control is maintained through unwavering fealty rather than traditional party structures. Ultimately, the perception stems from how Trump has centralized power around his persona, making himself the singular focus of his political movement. In this episode, Professor Seva Gunitsky, an associate professor of political science at the University of Toronto, joins the latest show to talk more. His work examines how international forces like war and globalization shape democracy and domestic reforms.

As we continue to pay much closer attention to the complication of geopolitical games these days, it is equally crucial for us to understand how fat the world has come. The issue of slavery has been critical for us, as we prepare to step forward to a new year. In this special episode, we will talk to Dr. Carries Gibson, author of the amazing book :The Great Resistance: The 400-Year Fight to End Slavery in the Americas." Dr. Gibson will share with us the research and the details in this book.

Carrie Gibson is the author of three works of history: The Great Resistance: The 400-Year Fight to End Slavery in the Americas (2026), El Norte: The Epic and Forgotten Story of Hispanic North America (2019), and Empire’s Crossroads: A History of the Caribbean From Columbus to the Present Day (2014). Prior to gaining a PhD in history at the University of Cambridge in 2011, she worked as journalist for The Guardian and Observer in London. She is currently living in Seoul, South Korea.

Can a single conflict rewrite the rules of global power? Since the full-scale invasion, Ukraine has become the epicenter of a struggle not just for territory, but for the future of the international order. By defiantly defending its sovereignty, it challenges the very idea of spheres of influence and redraws the boundaries of security. This reset hinges on a pivotal, often paradoxical player: China. While officially calling for peace, Beijing’s economic and diplomatic support for Russia provides a critical lifeline, positioning China not as a neutral mediator, but as a decisive architect of whatever new world emerges from this war.

Dr. Alexander John Motyl is an American historian, political scientist, poet, writer, translator, and painter. He is a resident of New York City. He is professor of political science at Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey, and a specialist on Ukraine, Russia, and the Soviet Union.

In this new episode, we turn to Syria—a nation shattered by over a decade of civil war, now a fractured chessboard of regime control, foreign militias, and humanitarian crisis. The economy is in freefall, with currency collapse and crippling sanctions deepening civilian despair. Enter President Trump, whose policy has been defined by a sudden withdrawal of U.S. troops, a focus on defeating ISIS, and stark warnings to adversaries like Iran and Russia, all while imposing the heaviest economic pressures yet on Damascus. We examine the volatile results of this "America First" approach to a deeply complex war.

Guest Info: Dr. Jamsheed Choksy is a professor of Central Eurasian Studies at Indiana University, Bloomington. Professor Jamsheed Choksy’s research broadly covers the development of societies, especially sectarian communities, in Central Asia, the Near East and South Asia studied through interdisciplinary approaches involving history, religious studies, international affairs, politics, anthropology, archaeology, language.

What is happening in the city of Minneapolis draws the attention beyond the domestic audience. The ongoing protests and riots are causing major political and economic concerns for both the Democrats and the Republicans. People in China and Iran are seeking opportunities to "re-engage" with US, as the international policies continue to shift. In this special episode, Dr. Michael Patrick, a renowned international affairs scholar joins the show to share his insights and analysis.

In Vietnam, the Communist Party isn't just the sole political authority; it is the architect of the nation's destiny. Its internal structure and leadership selections are pivotal, shaping every policy turn. As Vietnam emerges as a global economic success story, this political engine is central to the transformation. In this episode, we examine how the Party's evolving power dynamics and governance directly fuel—or sometimes restrain—breakneck growth, infrastructure miracles, and ambitious reforms. In this amazing episode, Dr. Hai Hong Nguyen, Visiting Scholar In Residence of American University, and the assistant professor of international relations and global politics, joins the show to discuss the details.

Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@willli9755/featured

Such unconventional but straightforward message from American President Donald Trump to the world was indeed shocking. Not only Trump mentioned his desire for Greenland, but also his unceasing wants for a "better game" which could benefit America only. In this special interview, Dr. Marcus Vinícius De Freitas, Professor Visitante, China Foreign Affairs University, and a Senior Fellow, Policy Center for the New South, joins the show to talk more.

Protests and riots continue in the nation of Iran, as the political tensions rises by the hour. It seems to be the case that the current Iranian regime is about to lose the control of the citizens and their trust in the government. Sitting US President Donald Trump warns the nation leader that American government could step in if the situation worsens. In this exclusive interview, Professor JAMSHEED K. CHOKSY, who is Distinguished Professor of Iranian and Central Eurasian Studies in the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies and Director of the Inner Asian and Uralic National Resource Center at Indiana University, joins the latest show to share his insights and analysis.

In this special interview, we're diving into the heart of Venezuela's prolonged crisis—a story of economic collapse, humanitarian suffering, and a fractured political stalemate. Against this backdrop, we’ll examine a pivotal but often overlooked factor: the Trump administration's decisive rejection of the established international order. By sidelining multilateral diplomacy in favor of unilateral pressure, his approach didn't just fail to unseat Maduro; it intensified the nation's agony and reshaped the rules of global engagement. We’ll unpack how this deliberate ignorance of complex, coordinated solutions has left Venezuela trapped and the world order more fragile.

Professor Kurt Weyland is Mike Hogg Professor in Liberal Arts in the Department of Government, University of Texas at Austin. Professor Weyland's research interests focus on democratization and authoritarian rule, on social policy and policy diffusion, and on populism in Latin America and Europe. He has drawn on a range of theoretical and methodological approaches, including insights from cognitive psychology, and has done extensive field research in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, and Venezuela. His latest book, Democracy’s Resilience to Populism’s Threat: Countering Global Alarmism.

In this special interview, Paul Shearman, an international actor and playwright whose work bridges the U.S., China, and the U.K., joins the show to talk about how he discovered "new life" after experiencing dramatic turns in life. Plus, Paul explains in details why 65 is the prime age to start life again.