Our 2025 Geopolitical Power Draft

Our 2025 Geopolitical Power Draft

Author: Jacob Shapiro & Marko Papic May 15, 2025 Duration: 1:26:47

The cousins return with chaos, caffeine, and an inaugural Geopolitical Power Draft - but not before Marko rants about Gulf monarchies, Trump’s diplomatic plane deals, and why Saudi Arabia might out-liberal Israel by 2050. He skewers Western pearl-clutching, explains why Qatar owes him a jet, and declares multipolarity the new default. Along the way: why Zelensky outmaneuvered Putin, how Xi is courting Latin America, and why the UAE is quietly winning the AI arms race. Then it’s time to pick global power players for the next 30 years. Marko’s playing 5D chess with industrial policy.

Timestamps:

(00:00) - Introduction and Podcast Overview

(01:00) - Geopolitical Analysts and Air Travel

(02:45) - US Foreign Policy and Gifts

(07:43) - Middle East Developments

(23:13) - Saudi Arabia's Transformation

(41:44) - Geopolitical Draft Introduction

(45:51) - Geopolitical Power Index and Geopolitics as an Art

(47:00) - Quantitative vs Qualitative Analysis in Geopolitics

(47:20) - Defining Power and Influence

(48:37) - Non-Linearity and Future Predictions

(48:53) - Nuclear Power and Population Debates

(49:07) - Critique of Demographic Obsession

(51:09) - American Power and Multipolarity

(54:01) - China's Position and Challenges

(59:09) -European Union and Western Europe

(01:04:05) - Turkey's Strategic Importance

(01:08:16) - India's Potential and Challenges

(01:11:56) - Russia's Geopolitical Influence

(01:13:45) - South Korea's Technological Edge

(01:16:31) - Brazil's Agricultural and Manufacturing Future

(01:17:03) - Canada's Strategic Advantages

(01:18:47) -Iran's Potential Resurgence

(01:19:56) - Argentina's Reform and Innovation

(01:20:48) - Singapore's Strategic Position

(01:21:30) - Saudi Arabia's Regional Influence

(01:22:11) - Japan's Resilience

(01:22:32) - Ukraine's Future as a Garrison State

(01:24:21) - Conclusion and NBA Thoughts


There’s a certain kind of conversation that happens when two deeply knowledgeable friends, who also happen to be professional geopolitical analysts, get together without a script. That’s the space Geopolitical Cousins occupies. Hosts Jacob Shapiro and Marko Papic bring their distinct perspectives-often aligned, sometimes clashing-to dissect the forces shaping our world, from market-moving policies to underlying cultural shifts. You won’t find dry, academic lectures here. Instead, each episode feels like you’re overhearing a lively, sometimes comedic debate between two cousins at a family gathering, if that family was obsessed with the intersection of power, philosophy, and investment. The analysis is rigorous and in-depth, yet delivered with a relatable ease that can pivot from a serious interview with an expert to an off-the-wall observation about societal quirks. This podcast digs into the "why" behind the headlines, exploring how business, culture, and human nature collide on the global stage. By weaving together categories that are often kept separate-society, investing, comedy, philosophy-Shapiro and Papic create a uniquely holistic listen. Tune in for a perspective that is as intellectually substantial as it is unpredictably engaging.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 54

Geopolitical Cousins
Podcast Episodes
Get Off Our Lawn! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:22
Jacob and Marko make a cousins episode happen even as Jacob is moving into a new office and Marko is on the road – at one point he was literally recording from a bathroom at a hotel in Fort Lauderdale because that is the…
Will the U.S. go to War with Iran? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:57:40
Jacob and Marko run down the most important issues of the week: Will the U.S. go to war with Iran? Why did President Erdogan arrest his top rival? Is Indonesia helping or hurting itself by courting its military? And is C…
F*cking Around and Finding Out [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:38
The inaugural episode of the Geopolitical Cousins podcast sees Marko and Jacob wax philosophical about net assessments, debate where the Trump administration thinks the world is multipolar, and interrogate what the futur…