logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2024
51m 50s

Velina Tchakarova on China, Russia, and ...

MERCATUS CENTER AT GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY
About this episode

Take our Listener Survey

You could try playing out the four-dimensional chess game of how the global order will shift in the next 10-15 years for yourself, or you could hire Velina Tchakarova. Founder of the consultancy FACE, Velina is a geopolitical strategist guiding businesses and organizations to anticipate the outcomes of global conflicts, shifting alliances, and bleeding edge technologies on the world stage.

In a globe-trotting conversation, Tyler and Velina start in the Balkans and then head to Russia, China, North Korea, and finally circle back to Putin's interest in the Baltics. She gives her take on whether the Balkan Wars still matter today, the future of Bulgarian nationalism, what predicts which Eastern European countries will remain closer to Russia, why China will not attack Taiwan, Putin's next move after Ukraine, where a nuclear weapon is most likely to be used next, how she sources intel, her unique approach to scenario-planning, and more.

Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video.

Recorded May 20th, 2024.

Other ways to connect

Up next
Today
Cass Sunstein on Liberalism and Rights in the Age of AI
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style= "font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> Cass Sunstein is one of the most widely cited legal scholars of all time and among the most prolific writers working ... Show More
1h 19m
Nov 19
Blake Scholl on Supersonic Flight and Fixing Broken Infrastructure - Live at the Progress Conference
<p class="MsoNormal" style= "margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal;"><span style= "font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> Blake Scholl is one of the leading figures working to bring back ci ... Show More
37m 46s
Nov 12
Donald S. Lopez Jr. on Buddhism
<p><strong><span style= "font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><em><a class="_mizu194a _1ah3dkaa _ra3xnqa1 _128mdkaa _1cvmnqa1 _4davt94y _4bfu1r31 _1hms8stv _ajmmnqa1 _vchhusvi _kqswh2mm _syaz14q2 _ect41gqc _1a3b1r31 _4fpr8stv _5goinqa1 _f8pj14q2 _9oik1r31 ... Show More
57m 4s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2024
The Dragonbear in the Geopolitics of the 21st Century
What is the “dragonbear”? It is a metophor of an emerging strategic alliance between Russia and China. In this episdoe, Julie Yu-Wen Chen talks to geostrategist Velina Tchakarova about the dragonbear in the geopolitics of the 21st century. What does the Dragonbear really aim to a ... Show More
28m 28s
Jan 2025
Season 4, Episode 3: Prof. Glenn Diesen, The Ukraine War and the Eurasian World Order
Send us a textJoin Professor Jeffrey Sachs and political scientist Glenn Diesen as they discuss Professor Diesen’s new book, The Ukraine War & the Eurasian World Order. Professor Diesen explains Europe’s fractured security framework which he believes has steered the continent tow ... Show More
58m 54s
Dec 2023
Ukraine, Israel and Cold War II
From Israel to Ukraine, 2023 has been a year of spreading violent conflict, increasing instability and posing stiff challenges to U.S. global strategy, all within the context of the developing new Cold War with China and its allies, Russia and Iran. It seems likely that our adver ... Show More
40m 20s
Mar 2022
Russia Warns NATO Of A NUCLEAR World War Three, West Begins BANNING Russians From Sports And Games
Russia Warns NATO Of A NUCLEAR World War Three, West Begins BANNING Russians From Sports And Games. Propaganda is reaching absurdity as Russian is claiming they are winning while Western media claims they are effectively losing. However likely it is that NATO gets involved in the ... Show More
1h 24m
Sep 2024
Russia, Ukraine, and Europe’s war economy
<p>After a period of stalemate between Russia and Ukraine, direct military action has recommenced. Heightened tensions have led to discussions on Europe’s readiness for a ‘war economy’ and the United States is also reportedly considering lifting its ban on Ukraine’s use of Americ ... Show More
34m 22s
Jun 2024
The dangers of Putin and Kim Jong Un's explosive bromance
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s first visit to North Korea in 24 years has resulted in the signing of a partnership agreement for mutual aid if either nation is attacked. Apparently encompassing a whole range of areas, including medical education and scientific pursuits, parti ... Show More
20m 52s
Oct 9
The Reeducation of Russia’s Military
<p>Ever since Russia started its war in Ukraine, assessments of its military power have vacillated wildly. First, Russian forces were supposed to overrun Ukraine and crush any resistance in a matter of days. Then, they were thought to be so weak that a Ukrainian counteroffensive ... Show More
53m 13s
Jul 2025
'KGB Have You By The Balls!' Trump vs Putin | War + Tariffs With Jeffrey Sachs
President Trump has clearly run out of patience with Putin, reducing his 50-day deadline to end the war in Ukraine to little more than a week. The penalty will be severe tariffs, which the US says will hammer the Russian economy. Yet Russia’s economy is actually growing because o ... Show More
54m 51s
Oct 2024
Chaotic fighting in the Donbas & Norway's attitudes to its neighbour
Day 959.Today, we report on chaotic fighting in the Donbas town of Torestsk as Russia continues its grinding offensive there, Vladimir Putin announces a surprise summit with Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian in a move that could further enmesh the wars in Ukraine and the Middle ... Show More
39m 45s
Mar 2025
Trump's Deal Will be the End of Ukraine - Andrei Illarionov
Andrei Illarionov is a Russian economist and public figure. He served as a senior policy advisor to Vladimir Putin from 2000 to 2005 but later became a vocal critic of Putin's administration. Follow Andrei on X: https://x.com/AnIllarionov SPONSOR. Go to https://get.stash.com/tr ... Show More
1h 21m