What does it mean when a sitting US President keeps demanding the return of a lost airbase? President Trump has repeatedly asked for the return of Bagram airbase? Can he get it back? Is the Taliban regime more durable than many assumed and what does Pakistan’s recoil mean for its future? Has the Ukraine war already rewritten the logic of modern power or is the decisive phase still ahead? And in the shadows, is China quietly building the largest war-making machine of the 21st century? ...

Eighty years after Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the nuclear order stands at a crossroads. Treaties strain, rivalries deepen and emerging technologies challenge decades of strategic balance. What happens when nuclear policies fail—and the safeguards meant to prevent catastrophe start to crack? In this gripping episode of Geopulse, host Tamim Asey speaks with Dr. Stephen Herzog, one of the world’s leading experts on nuclear governance and arms control. From his work at the Middlebury Institute and ...

In this episode of Geopulse, host Tamim Asey sits down with Professor Edward Lemon — one of the world’s leading experts on authoritarianism, security, and geopolitics in Central Asia and beyond. Currently a Research Assistant Professor at Texas A&M’s Bush School and President of the Oxus Society, Professor Lemon has long been at the forefront of research on transnational repression, digital surveillance, and authoritarian legalism. We dive deep into his groundbreaking new book, Backlash:...

In this riveting episode of Geopulse, award-winning journalist and bestselling author Yaroslav Trofimov joins host Tamim Asey for an extraordinary journey through the frontlines of history, empire and global upheaval. From the trenches of Ukraine to the deserts of the Middle East, Trofimov’s reporting has captured the pulse of collapsing regimes, rising authoritarian powers, and the unfinished wars that continue to shape our world. We dive into his latest book, Our Enemies Will Vanish, along...

Few voices have captured the pulse of Central Asia with the clarity, depth and integrity of Bruce Pannier. As a widely respected journalist and veteran analyst, Bruce has long served as a trusted chronicler of the region—offering grounded, unbiased insights into one of the world’s most strategically overlooked landscapes. In this special episode of Geopulse, Bruce joins host Tamim Asey to explore how the legacies of Soviet-imposed borders, forced demographics and imperial politics continue t...

In this episode of Geopulse, host Tamim Asey is joined by Dr. Anna Jordanova — a rising voice on Central Asian geopolitics, Associate Fellow at the Association of International Affairs (AMO), and PhD candidate at Charles University in Prague — to unpack the region’s evolving strategic architecture in a rapidly shifting global landscape. As traditional power dynamics are disrupted by Russia’s overstretch, China’s deepening economic reach, and the cautious engagement of Western actors, Central...

In this explosive episode of Geopulse, host Tamim Asey sits down with Michael Kugelman, former Director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center, to dissect the geopolitical powder keg that is modern South Asia. The conversation spans five strategic theatres: •India–Pakistan Rivalry: From Modi’s muscular populism to General Munir’s military reset, we explore how leadership styles, internal crises, and a fresh bout of cross-border conflict are redefining bilateral tensions. •China’s...

In this episode of Geopulse, the host Tamim Asey sits down with Ambassador Ronald Neumann—former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, Algeria and Bahrain, and currently the President of the American Academy of Diplomacy—to explore some of the most urgent geopolitical questions shaping our world. Our conversation spans: 🔸 The collapse of the Afghan Republic and the future of the Taliban’s Emirate 🔸 Prospects for international engagement with Afghanistan without recognition 🔸 Middle East realignmen...

In this inaugural episode of Geopulse, host Tamim Asey sits down with legendary journalist Kathy Gannon, whose decades of fearless reporting from Afghanistan, Pakistan and across the region have shaped how the world understands war, resilience and power. From the fall of Kabul to the shifting sands of geopolitics in South Asia and the Middle East, Kathy shares hard-earned insights on conflict, authoritarianism and the evolving role of journalism in an age of disinformation and global uncerta...

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