In this wide-ranging and uncompromising conversation, former R&AW chief Vikram Sood ji explains how the deep state actually functions in the modern world — beyond conspiracy theories and political slogans.

From intelligence agencies and NGOs to Big Tech, asset managers, media, and covert influence operations, Vikram Sood ji lays out how power sustains itself regardless of which government is in office. We discuss why wars no longer need victories, how narratives are manufactured to justify conflict, and why wealth — not ideology — has become the real source of global control.

The conversation spans Pakistan, China, the United States, Europe, Ukraine, pandemics, Hollywood, and the growing merger between intelligence, capital, and technology — with a sharp focus on what all of this means for India’s sovereignty and strategic future.

This episode isn’t about headlines.

It’s about the architecture beneath them.

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⏱️ Chapters

00:00 – 01:10 • Opening Hook: Power Beyond Governments

01:10 – 04:50 • Why Peace Is Often an Illusion in Geopolitics

04:50 – 09:10 • Sub-Nuclear Conflict & Why Wars Don’t Need Victory

09:10 – 13:30 • Intelligence, Narratives & How Wars Are Justified

13:30 – 17:30 • Wealth Is Power: Who Really Controls the World

17:30 – 21:45 • The Military-Industrial Cycle & Perpetual Conflict

21:45 – 26:10 • NGOs, Aid Agencies & Influence Without Guns

26:10 – 31:20 • Big Tech, Think Tanks & the Revolving Door of Power

31:20 – 36:40 • Hollywood, Media & Manufacturing Consent

36:40 – 42:30 • Europe, Russia & the Politics of Fear

42:30 – 48:00 • Ukraine, Proxies & the Business of War

48:00 – 53:20 • Pandemics, Power & Too Many Coincidences

53:20 – 58:40 • Population Control, Capital & Global Elites

58:40 – 01:04:10 • What the “Deep State” Really Means

01:04:10 – 01:10:30 • How Nations Defend Themselves Today

01:10:30 – 01:22:18 • India’s Choices in a World of Hidden Power

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👤 Guest — Vikram Sood

Former Chief, Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW)

Author | Intelligence & Geopolitics Analyst

📘 Get the book: Great Power Games: From Western Decline to Eastern Ascent

👉 https://www.amazon.in/GREAT-POWER-GAMES-Western-Decline/dp/935345929X

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👤 Host — Roshan Cariappa

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