Angry Planet

Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.comThe Pentagon has been trying to pivot to the Pacific for years now. Under President Donald Trump 2.0, who is focused on China, it just might happen. It’s a complicated body of water with dozens of players and a bloody history. One where Beijing is increasingly asserting itself.Here to walk us through some of it is Angry Planet producer and Honolulu Star-Advertiser reporter Kevin Knodell. He’s just back from the Philippines where he spent two weeks reporting on a joint exercise between the U.S. and its allies in the Pacific.BalikatanTraining exercises as signallingHow 40 years of Balikatan tells the story of U.S.-Philippines relations“There are definitely some places where it is about the fish.”The Chinese Maritime MilitiaDuterte vs Marcos in 2025Why America doesn’t understand ChinaRussia’s imperial history in the Pacific (Kevin misspoke here, it’s Fort Elizabeth not Fort Alexandria)Why people like Pete HegsethThe Nine-Dash lineThe century of humiliationChecking up on Red HillHawaii troops forge alliances in PhilippinesArmy, allies ponder Pacific role

Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.comRecorded 5/7/25India and Pakistan have been unhappy neighbors since 1947 and Britain’s decolonization of the subcontinent. They’ve fought four wars and there have been countless skirmishes. As Indian jets streak over Pakistani skies and that Muslim nation threatens retaliation, it’s unclear if this is war or just another blip between nations that plain don’t like each other.Joining us is Sushant Singh, a man with a background that includes academic, journalist and 20-year veteran in the Indian army. He’s written an article on the situation in Foreign Affairs, and brings us up to date.The state of play on the morning of May 7thThe Pahalgam attack‘The Switzerland of India’Matthew almost gets everyone into a lot of troubleHow Pakistan creates instability in KashmirThe entire history of the conflict between India and Pakistan in about five minutesChina’s looming presence‘These are non-escaltory strikes’Comparing the militariesGetting into the nuclear optionsPakistan’s tactical nuclear arsenalThe incredible monetary cost of uncertain missile defenseWe go out on a happy note for onceMore than 20 killed after gunmen open fire on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir

Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.comGreat power competition has gotten old for President Donald Trump—never one for a fair fight. He’s looking for a little great power collusion instead, dividing the world with his best buds, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. This kind of thing isn’t new, though, Stacie Goddard, a professor at Wellesley, tells us, in fact it’s the 1800s on repeat. Well, look how that turned out… World War I, anybody?BTW, check out her terrific article on this in Foreign Affairs magazine.Welcome to the Concert of EuropeThe post-Napoleon partyA taxonomy of aspirational GermansRetvrnStrong men, weak worldGovernment by MafiaWhat becomes of the “middle powers”?The era of aging dictatorsThe long breakdownEmpire without ickinessTurns out might does, in fact, make rightThe Rise and Fall of Great-Power CompetitionThe Concert of Europe

Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.comConquest is back baby! Eastern Europe, Taiwan, Greenland, Canada? It’s all on the table—and maybe up for grabs. Here to help us sort through this new age of empire building is University of Chicago political scientist Michael Albertus.As always, climate changeWhither Canada?The coming Canadian century“Territorial ambitions sometimes bite back”The biggest caveats ever uttered on the show“An empire eats”The stories nations tell themselves“Getting more America”Picking the winners and losersA little optimism at the endHow land confers powerThose Were The DaysThe false promise of abundanceThe Coming Age of Territorial ExpansionLand Power: Who Has It, Who Doesn’t, and How That Determines the Fate of Societies

Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.comTurkey’s president has grabbed a bit more power for himself with the recent arrest of the mayor of Istanbul. The mayor was thought to be one of the few politicians who could challenge Erdogan.Steven Cook will take us through it.Talking about authoritarians is one of the things we do here, so strap in for another tale of turmoil on an angry planet.Shilling for kagi.com“Competitive authoritarianism”Negotiating with the Kurdistan Workers’ PartyHow to court the Kurdish vote while killing KurdsA stable of failsons“The Turkish Marc Andreessen”Why Erdogan hates PennsylvaniaDisproving McDonald’s Diplomacy, once againLeveling a park to build a mallHow Erdogan processed the Arab Spring“Fools, knaves, and rubes”—Oh my!Turkey Can’t Live With, or Without, ErdoganUkraine Has Written a Folk Song About Its DroneTurkey and Israel are becoming deadly rivals in Syria

Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.comSpecial for our international listeners, did you know you can now buy a pathway to U.S. citizenship for the low, low price of $5 million sent directly to the U.S. treasury? For decades America’s immigration policies were a boon to its national defense. No one has better intelligence on a rival country than a fleeing dissident with firsthand knowledge.Times have changed.Gil Guerra of the Niskanen Center is here to talk all about those changes. It’s an episode packed with bizarre anecdotes and interesting tidbits about how America runs now. You’ll learn why evangelical Christians are turning their back on refugees, why China won’t accept deportation flights, and how to navigate the Darien Gap using short form video posts.Immigration is a foreign policy toolDissident refugees as a strategic winWhat we know about how the “Gold Card” will work“You simply can’t create greencards out of nowhere.”How Mexico uses immigration to get concessions from the U.S.“At a certain point the people who send you into the blades look like the bastards.”Dealing with a dictator20,000 Chinese nationals at the southern borderThe internet has made it easier to immigrateNavigating the Darien Gap, one TikTok video at a timeOp-ed: Trump’s gold card visa, explainedDomestic debate, global strategy: Revisiting immigration in U.S. foreign policyChina owns 380,000 acres of land in the U.S. Here's whereWeapons of Mass Migration

Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.comFor mercenaries, death is a business. It’s all about finding the right market. Wagner and other Russian mercenary groups have found willing markets in Africa. Journalist John Lechner spent years in Africa among the mercenaries and he’s on the show today to tell us about what he learned.Lechner tells us how Wagner’s men think the U.S. media killed Prigozhin, why every theater (or market) is different, and the training regimen of a fresh convict recruit. It’s all in his new book Death Is Our Business: Mercenaries and the New Era of Private Warfare.The threats change…but the mercenaries stay the same.Interlinking militant Islam and the rise of modern mercenariesRussian mercenaries before WagnerPrigozhin risingPutin’s Chef was the father of ‘Hybrid War’Wagner in Africa‘No one said mercenary life was gonna be easy.’Life inside Wagner‘Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.’You can’t judge intent by resultsThe Russian “royal” court is full of self starters and entrepreneursThe Tip of Russia’s SpearDeath Is Our BusinessPardoned for Serving in Ukraine, They Return to Russia to Kill AgainTaliban Bureaucrats Hate Working Online All Day, ‘Miss the Days of Jihad’

A lot of the people designing America’s technology and close to the center of American power believe some deeply weird shit. We already talked to journalist Gil Duran about the Nerd Reich, the rise of the destructive anti-democratic ideology. In this episode, we dive into another weird section of Silicon Valley: the cult of Rationalism.Max Read, the journalist behind the Read Max Substack, is here to help us through it. Rationalism is responsible for a lot more than you might think and Read lays out how it’s influenced the world we live in today and how it created the environment for a cult that’s got a body count.Defining rationalism: “Something between a movement, a community, and a self-help program.”Eliezer Yudkowsky and the dangers of AIWhat the hell is AGI?The Singleton Guide to Global GovernanceThe danger of thought experimentsAs always, follow the moneyVulgar bayesianismWhat’s a Zizian?Sith VegansAnselm: Ontological Argument for God’s ExistenceSBF and Effective AltruismREAD MAX!The Zizians and the Rationalist death cultsPausing AI Developments Isn’t Enough. We Need to Shut it All Down - Eliezer Yudkowsky’s TIME Magazine pieceExplaining Roko’s Basilisk, the Thought Experiment That Brought Elon Musk and Grimes TogetherThe Delirious, Violent, Impossible True Story of the ZiziansThe Government Knows AGI is Coming | The Ezra Klein ShowThe archived ‘Is Trump Racist’ rational post

Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.comThe Israeli military is using AI products from Microsoft to conduct its war in Gaza. Off the shelf AI products powered by the tech company’s Azure cloud computing system and OpenAI are helping the IDF sort through data, translate Arabic, and even pick targets. But AI translations aren’t perfect and these systems often make mistakes.What happens when the consequences are life and death?Associated Press global investigative reporters Garance Burke and Michael Biesecker are part of a team that broke the story about Israel’s use of Microsoft’s commercial AI in a war. They’re on the show today to help us sort through it all.Defining “AI”Off the shelf solutions for warMicrosoft Azure as war’s translator and search engine“The Israel military is one of the leading militaries in the world adopting the use of AI to assist in its war efforts. They’ve been doing this for years.”AI is picking targetsStudents to militantsAI’s mistranslationsBlaming AI for human sinsMatthew’s vision of a hellish automated futureEmployees push backThe money is just too goodHow US tech giants supplied Israel with AI models, raising questions about tech’s role in warfareAs Israel uses US-made AI models in war, concerns arise about tech’s role in who lives and who diesMicrosoft workers protest sale of AI and cloud services to Israeli military