Chaos Theory

Why has Iran's regime survived a war with Israel and the US - two of the world's most advanced militaries? Why can't Russia, with one of the most powerful armed forces, defeat Ukraine? And what do these two conflicts, thousands of miles apart, have to do with each other? 

In the first episode of Chaos Theory, Hassan Damluji and Mike Martin MP argue that Ukraine and Iran are merging into a single war, fought on two fronts, and together they reveal the fault lines of our fracturing world order. 

Hassan and Mike unpack why raw military power keeps failing to deliver victory, what the war in Ukraine and the conflict with Iran reveal about the limits of US and Russian strength, and why the outcomes of both will shape the global balance of power for a generation. 

Join Hassan and Mike for the first episode of Chaos Theory, a new podcast about the geopolitics of war, power, and our fracturing international order.

Chapters

00:00 Intro

03:52 The Iran War is Expanding

09:06 Never Fight Mountain Folk

12:58 Why Are Arab Armed Forces So Ineffective?

16:05 Has American Security Collapsed In The Gulf?

18:28 Ukraine’s Alliance with The Gulf

21:27 Developments in Drone Warfare

25:03 Can Ukraine Survive?

27:38 How Ukraine and Iran Became One Conflict

30:18 Cold War 2

33:54 The Pathway to World War Escalation

37:39 An Optimistic Case

40:53 25th Anniversary of 9/11

44:20 Trump’s Diesel Price Nonsense

46:47 Are China Long-Term Winners

50:01 Did US Allow Saudi To Fail?

52:15 Will China Ever Expand Into The Gulf?