
Firepower Is Not a Strategy
Solo analysis from Jacob! Some reflection on being wrong about the Third Gulf War. Jacob outlines why he thought the war wouldn't happen - interceptor shortages, domestic politics, inflation risk, and...
19 Maalis 24min

An Imminent, Underreported War
Jacob Shapiro sits down with journalist Jody Ray, who just returned from on-the-ground reporting in Ethiopia and Eritrea. This convo is a gateway into one of the most underreported conflicts brewing t...
13 Maalis 54min

Escape from Tel Aviv
Jacob sets down the grand strategy for a gripping personal story, catching up with his high school friend Avi Swerdlow, who landed in Israel the day before the new Gulf War erupted. Avi recounts wakin...
10 Maalis 41min

Who's Running Tehran?
Iran expert Hamidreza Azizi joins Jacob Shapiro to break down the issues posed by Iran's blockage of the Strait of Hormuz. Azizi explains Iran's phased strategy: take out US radar systems first, then ...
6 Maalis 1h 6min

Decapitation Strike
Geopolitical analyst Kamran Bokhari joins Jacob to break down the US/Israeli joint strike on Iran. Is this regime change, or coercion? Bokhari argues the limited force deployment points to a "Venezuel...
28 Helmi 30min

Healthy Climate Skepticism (?)
North Dakota State Climatologist Daryl Ritcheson joins the show for his annual check-in about the climate (our fourth???) - He and Jacob revisit last year’s forecast misses and hits before diving into...
23 Helmi 58min

The Cold War That Wasn’t
Louis-Vincent Gave joins The Jacob Shapiro Podcast to unpack a world that looks chaotic... but may be quietly reordering itself. From a surprising thaw in U.S.–China relations to a potential renaissan...
18 Helmi 1h 1min

Takaichi's New Japan
Something extraordinary just happened in Japan... but of course no one is paying attention!A ruling party written off as tired and scandal-plagued didn’t just win - they delivered a generational lands...
13 Helmi 1h 11min



















