The first weeks of 2026 have seen a whirlwind of US foreign policy actions.

In this urgent episode of the Silk and Steel Podcast, host Carl Zha is joined once more by Dr. Warwick Powell, an expert on international relations and China, to dissect the Trump administration's aggressive moves against Venezuela, Iran, and Greenland. These actions are explicitly framed as efforts to "clip China's wings," but what are the real motives and likely outcomes?

We analyze the strategic logic, the cartoonish worldview driving Washington's decisions, and what China's calm, long-game response means for the future of global power.

📚 Relevant Links:Subscribe to the Silk and Steel Podcast for more analysis.

Follow Carl Zha for host perspectives.

Dr. Powell's Substack (for in-depth analysis): warwickpal.substack.com

Dr. Powell on X (for commentary): @baoshaoshan

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00:00 - Introduction & Overview of a Chaotic Start to 2026

02:10 - Framing the Strategy: US "Global Primacy" vs. New Realities

04:55 - The "Cartoonish" Worldview in Washington & The Venezuela Oil Myth

07:02 - Why China & Russia Won't Militarily Intervene: Strategic Patience vs. Knee-Jerk Reactions

11:25 - The Power of Non-Interference: China's Soft Power & Economic Leverage

15:05 - Debunking the "Reverse Domino Theory": The Nuclear Reality

16:40 - The Spoiler Playbook: How a Declining Hegemon Tries to Divide & Conquer

20:55 - "China Builds, US Bombs": Can a Spoiler Strategy Actually Work?

23:40 - The Achilles' Heel: US Military Dependency on Chinese Supply Chains

27:10 - The Greenland Grab: Trophy, Resources, or Message to Europe?

33:45 - Iran Deep Dive: Regime Change on the Cheap? Starlink, Currency Wars & Failed Protests

40:30 - The 25% Tariff Threat: Frustration, Bluster, and Unintended Consequences

45:05 - America's Economic Malaise: The "Politics of Nostalgia" vs. 21st-Century Realities

52:55 - Outlook for 2026: Domestic Politics, Midterm Elections, and More Messiness

57:15 - China's Unflappable Long-Game & The Inevitable Forces of a Multipolar World

01:01:35 - Final Thoughts & Where to Find Dr. Warwick Powell

Jerm, Charles, and Mike talk through UK Column's plans for 2026 as they look back on the past year's achievements and difficulties.

They mark the Column’s 20th anniversary and stress the need to stay involved with urgent global matters, to include the impact of figures like Donald Trump on world affairs.

The discussion turns to US foreign policy, especially military actions and immigration, and how government decisions affect people's mental well-being.

The three highlight the value of independent thinking and community involvement when facing the challenges of modern governance and social change, particularly as future crises may lie ahead.

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Patrick Henningsen and Mike Robinson with today's UK Column News

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00:00 Introduction

00:33 Attack on Juries: Palestine Action exploited by the state to dismantle justice. With Special guest, political analyst, Basil Valentine

21:07 Gaza: Board of Peace includes a sinister triumvirate

25:13 Check out UKC’s website and support our work

27:00 Insurrection: Trump getting increasingly authoritarian

36:38 Iran: Propaganda and shadowy forces shaping the narrative

51:06 Greenland: It’s not about protection, it’s a resource grab

Jerm and Carl Zha talk about their trip to China together.

They describe the difference between the busy city life in Shanghai and the quieter, more traditional areas in the west of the country. They share funny stories about dealing with traffic, exploring the culture in Xinjiang, and using apps like WeChat. They discuss how people in the West see China, with Jerm pointing out how complex and diverse it is, and Carl saying that China, like any country, has its good and bad points. They talk about the kindness they were shown and clear up misunderstandings about China's politics, especially around the Uyghur people.

Their conversation is full of humour and personal thoughts, giving a balanced view of their journey.

Carl has a show on UK Column.

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Iain Overton is an investigative journalist, author, and the Executive Director for Action on Armed Violence, which campaigns for a reduction in the number of civilians killed in warfare.

He also writes for Declassified UK exposing, in particular, the questionable actions of the UK's Ministry of Defence.

A former BBC journalist, he now finds himself spurned by his ex-employer, which will no longer touch the material he produces.

In this episode, we welcome back Xiang Yu from Taiwan to discuss the recent geopolitical tensions surrounding Taiwan, particularly in relation to Chinese military exercises, U.S. foreign policy, and local sentiments in Taiwan.

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Wikipedia was co-founded by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger in the 1990s, but its original promise has not fully come to pass.

Over time, concerns have grown about bias, particularly a left-leaning slant influenced by institutional capture. Around 85% of the most influential editors remain anonymous, which raises questions about accountability.

Larry has put forward nine theses for reform, to suggest changes like ending consensus-based decision-making and to allow competing versions of articles to improve accuracy and representation. He also points to the GASP framework—highlighting Wikipedia's tendencies toward globalist, academic, secular, and progressive viewpoints—and argues for restoring neutrality and scrapping source blacklists.

With AI now shaping content, he believes public ratings and greater transparency could help make Wikipedia more reliable.Larry’s website: https://larrysanger.org

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Charles Malet, Mike Robinson, and Vanessa Beeley with today's UK Column News

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00:39 Iran: Arab Spring recycled

08:24 Foreign Interference: What’s behind fake X accounts?

15:05 Extremism:

26:43 Substack: Age verification and punishment of authors. With special guest Alex Kriel

37:17 Check out UKC’s website and support our work:

36:33 Digital ID: Government U-Turn is nothing of the sort

41:25 Palantir: Infiltrates MoD on behalf of Israel

51:20 China: Comedic propaganda from UK broadsheet

55:33 Farming: Wrap-up of first UK conference of 2026

01:02:40 And Finally

Kenneth McCarthy, whose main focus is the health system, discusses his book 'Diabolical Errors', highlighting the deep flaws in modern medicine.

He draws historical parallels between the AIDS and COVID pandemics where he suggests both were shaped by flawed narratives and systemic failures. During COVID, he notes, dangerous hospital practices emerged, driven byfinancial incentives. Many patients were harmed as a result.

He argues that medical education in the US is heavily influenced by pharmaceutical interests. The medical system has been increasingly corrupted since the 19th century.

The title of his book, ’Diabolical Errors’, reflects how harmful practices persist unchecked, hidden within the 'black box' of modern medicine, keeping patients in the dark.

Ken stresses it is important to return to observational medicine. He urges greater scepticism towards current protocols to achieve better health outcomes.

Ken’s book: https://www.amazon.com/Excerpts-Diabolical-Errors-Unsettling-Corruption/dp/B0FXWQW2XR

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Dr Anthony McCarthy is a philosopher and the Founder and Director of the Bios Centre in London. He is also Visiting Scholar in Moral Philosophy at the International Theological Institute in Austria.

This in-depth and wide-ranging interview explores the ideas behind Dr McCarthy’s book, Ethical Sex: Sexual Choices and Their Nature and Meaning, which focuses on the profound cultural shifts that have shaped attitudes toward sex, relationships, and responsibility since the 1950s.

Dr McCarthy reflects on what motivated him to write the book and examines whether the so-called sexual revolution truly delivered the liberation it promised, particularly for women, or whether it instead produced new forms of vulnerability and instability.

The pair discuss how liberalisation and modern, casual approaches to sex may have weakened expectations of responsibility among young men, contributing to a growing reluctance to commit to long-term relationships, marriage, and fatherhood.

They ask whether increasing numbers of women are finding themselves raising children alone, dependent on the state, facing midlife childless, delaying parenthood in favour of a career, or unable to find a committed partner.

The conversation also moves into more controversial moral and social issues, including the normalisation of abortion as a matter of convenience, the erosion of the sanctity of life, and the wider cultural impact of pornography, consent, and LGBTQ politics.

Throughout the interview, Dr McCarthy places these debates within a deeper philosophical framework, asking what happens to individuals and society when sexual ethics are detached from meaning, commitment, love, and moral limits.

Dr McCarthy argues society appears to be facing a choice: either it continues along the path of fragmentation and moral confusion, or it reclaims the enduring value of marriage, family, and ethical frameworks that foster meaningful relationships and provide children with stability, identity, and a secure foundation for life.

He can be reached at [email protected].

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