Episodes
Friend of the podcast, Rhoderick Miller is back to discuss the aftermath of the Wagner Group mutiny against Valdimir Putin. John, David and Rhoderick discuss the dynamics of Putin's inner circle, while speculating over the fate of Wagner's leader Yevgeny Prigozhin. They also discuss the legal culpability of Wagner Group's atrocities, given that it's no secret that the mercenary group is funded by the Kremlin.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Published 06/30/23
Published 06/30/23
Strategikon is back in 2023 and we are kicking off the year with Round 5 of the Hyper Realist Bombs series. Our good friend Rhoderick Miller returns to the podcast to discuss the latest developments from the Russia / Ukraine conflict, from his hyper realist perspective. John, David and Rhoderick discuss the present state of the Russian military, including whether it’s military production is struggling to keep up with the demands of the conflict, as well as the current situation in the...
Published 04/16/23
Friend of the podcast Rhoderick Miller is back on Strategikon and we find out what Rhoderick’s Hyper – Realist perspective has to say about the Russia / Ukraine conflict, 10 months after it began. John and David also offer their predictions on whether Putin or Zelenskyy will come out of the war in a better position, before discussing the chances of Germany being able to right it’s economy despite it’s energy dependency on Russia. Finally, with 2023 set to be characterized by food and energy...
Published 12/24/22
In this episode of Strategikon, John speaks with intelligence analyst and former British Royal Navy Officer CDRE Patrick J. Tyrrell OBE RN (RET’D), about the recent political and monarchical changes occurring within the UK. Patrick discusses how King Charles III has been settling in and whether the monarch should have skipped a generation, as well as the functional role which the Royal Family plays within UK and Commonwealth civics.   Lizz Truss has also taken over the conservative party...
Published 10/01/22
John is joined by the editor of Australian Foreign Affairs Magazine, Jonathan Pearlman, for a discussion about how Australia’s new Albanese government will approach foreign policy. They discuss the current status of The Quad, with a focus on India’s curious position within the group. How does the rising South Asian power’s tradition of non-alignment affect The Quad’s progress and furthermore, could India’s poor human rights record affect the group’s cohesion? Jonathan also explains how...
Published 09/06/22
In this episode of Strategikon, John and David break down a recent book from geopolitical analyst Peter Zeihan, called The End of the World is Just the Beginning: Mapping the end of globalization. Zeihan predicts the unraveling of globalization as we currently know it, to a world where states / regions will have to secure their own access to food, energy and security whilst simultaneously managing climate change and aging populations. After analyzing the validity of Zeihan’s thesis, John...
Published 07/31/22
*This podcast was recorded prior to Ukraine vacating from Luhansk* John and David are joined once again by friend of the podcast Rhoderick Miller, who offers an update on the Russia/Ukraine war through the lens of his contrarian, hyper-realist perspective. They discuss why the Western European allies seem to have pulled back their supply of weapons to Ukraine, as well as how the military equipment supplied by the United States might match up against Russia’s on their home...
Published 07/06/22
In light of the recent meeting of 'The Quad' nations India, Japan, US and Australia, we are joined by Emeritus Professor Purnendra Jain, from the Department of Asian Studies at the University of Adelaide, who offers a timely analysis regarding India's delicate tightrope walk in keeping ongoing Russia and US relations from cancelling eachother out. Professor Jain delves into the nature of Indian foreign policy and their long standing relationship with Russia, as well as how the relationship...
Published 06/05/22
Rhoderick Miller is back. This time, Rhoderick offers his Hyper-Realist perspective on how China has responded to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and whether the conflict could inspire a People’s Liberation Army invasion of Taiwan. Is it the right time for China to realize their decades-long ambition of claiming Taiwan, or is China facing too much internal insecurity to concern itself with large-scale invasion? Furthermore, why has Australia’s response to the growing insecurity in the...
Published 03/30/22
Rhoderick Miller, an old friend of John and David, joins the podcast to break down the escalating war in Ukraine. Rhoderick offers a unique and contrarian analysis of what exactly is happening on the ground and what outcomes we can expect in the coming weeks. Mainstream media narratives are depicting a surprisingly robust Ukrainian fighting force, making life unexpectedly difficult for the Russians. Additionally, the Western world have hit Russia with "crippling" sanctions and widespread...
Published 03/10/22
Since the surprise Capture of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and Russia’s active support of pro-Russian separatists in Eastern Ukraine, Ukraine has gone from relative obscurity to front-page news. The simmering Russian backed war in Eastern Ukraine, which began in 2014, catapulted to international infamy when in July 2014, Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over Eastern Ukraine by pro-Russian separatists operating a Russian-made book surface-to-air missile system, killing all 298...
Published 01/26/22
Mexico is often linked in the public mind to two major issues - the global narcotics trade and illegal immigration into the United States. Of course, both are true, but there is also much more to modern Mexico. Join John, David, and Tim as they discuss Mexico, its multiple complexities, and challenges with returning guest Dr. R Evan Ellis, Research Professor of Latin American Studies, US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute.   This Podcast is Produced by Tim Whiffen of Whimsy...
Published 09/09/21
Ethiopia entered a new age in 2018 with the election of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. No longer run by the former Tigray dominated Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), Abiy Ahmed ushered in a change to Ethiopia’s ethno-federalist structure and in doing so replaced the privileged minority Tigrayans with a new political elite consisting of the majority Oromo and Amharic peoples. In doing so, this move unleashed resentment among the former Tigrayan elite of Ethiopia which...
Published 08/30/21
With the COVID-19 Pandemic raging its way continually through countries, savaging populations of India and South Africa, the question still on everyone's lips is "who's to blame"? With some rallying for independent investigations what seems to be apparent is that while the virus was released by accident, the following actions and containment were not handled well, and certainly there has been some opportunism by parties to gain strategic footholds during a delicate time. Joining us to discuss...
Published 06/04/21
Multi-lateral frameworks have been unravelling slowly, and the dream of a unified globe along with it. With President Trump bringing multi-laterals into the limelight as a common enemy of the working people. many global powers are having to find their way in a new global era where there is much more potential. To discuss these pertinent ideas, John and David are joined by Nicholas Michelon, a 20-year veteran of Asia-Pacific business, finance & economics research. Nicolas is the founder of...
Published 05/20/21
Since the recording of this podcast with Yossi Mekelberg, the Israelis and Palestinians are at it again with Hamas launching rockets at Tel Aviv and towards Israel's Dimona nuclear facility. While the Hamas rocket barrage has yet again failed to reach its targets, this Hamas attack has shown increasing capability and improvements in the organisation’s ability to strike deeper into Israel than before. Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system, while having destroyed most incoming Hamas rockets,...
Published 05/13/21
The CCP's assertiveness in the South China sea poses threats across all of South East Asia, but the Philippines is subject to extensive security threats. With no compromise or help in sight, what challenges does the Philippino political elite face to turn the tides in their favour? While it appears that Washington has all but forgotten the Philippines, how can regional players approach this regime in Manila? To answer some of these questions and provide insight from the ground, John and David...
Published 04/29/21
In this episode of STRATEGIKON, John, David, and special guest, Adelaide-based independent defense analyst Raspal Khosa, reflect on the "middle east" and the US operations throughout the region. With speculation of President Biden ending operations in Afghanistan throughout the media and the deadline to decide on May 1st, the Taliban has renewed relevance. President Biden has already shown his intentions throughout his vice presidency and the stakes are high for leaving. Luckily, Raspal is...
Published 04/02/21
In this episode of STRATEGIKON, John, David and Tim are inquiring into the intricacies of President Trump's second impeachment after he has left office, and the tides left in the Republican Party in 2021. Joining us from the United States to discuss these issues is Dr. Imad Harb, SIA’s Senior Non-Resident Fellow Greater Middle East & Director of Research and Analysis at the Arab Center Washington DC. Support the show: https://www.sageinternational.org.au/strategikon-merch/ See...
Published 02/20/21
In this episode of STRATEGIKON, we examine Britain one year after the decision to leave the European Union, and at the end of the time in which they could make a deal with the EU. Of course, we could not ignore the strategic goings-on in America and China with this discussion, so we also consider the UK and the EU in the context of the world economic and strategic orders. Our virtual studio is hosted by John Bruni, Co-Hosted by David Olney, and joined by our regular guest CDRE Pat Tyrrell...
Published 01/19/21
John, David and Tim are joined by Ambassador of Colombia to Australia, H.E. Alberto José Mejia Ferrero & Prof. R. Evan Ellis, US Army War College, to discuss the complications Colombia faces with the Venezuela crises. This region is of utmost significance to Australia as our interests shift from rising tensions with the Chinese Communist Party. With the Colombian embassy being closed in Venezuela and the Venezuelan refugee crisis at its peak, it is imperative for Australian's to watch...
Published 12/24/20
John, David & Emeritus Professor Purnendra Jain discuss SIA's report on the power dynamics of the Indo-Pacific & its recommendations. In this welcome back to the STRATEGIKON podcast, the discussion revolved around what has been keeping these intellectuals so busy! We are looking forward to creating more podcasts for you as the ever-changing world develops new and interesting dynamics. In this past year, Sage International Australia has produced a report titled; "The Strategic...
Published 12/03/20
In this episode of STRATEGIKON, we examine the ongoings in Belarus and the likely fate of Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko. Also up for discussion, changes to European security caused by the recent decision of President Trump to relocate US forces from Germany to Poland. And finally, Europe’s southeast in the Eastern Mediterranean, tensions rise between NATO members and long-time regional rivals Turkey and Greece, making Europe a fascinating hot topic at the moment. Our virtual studio...
Published 08/27/20
It is a scary world out there in the cyber-universe, and while we have covered many of the public sector concerns from a political level, what are the threats facing every Australian from citizens to business owners? Cynch Security is a cybersecurity service for small business, and are at the forefront of the cyber-fitness, or indeed, lack thereof in the Australian community. Joining John, David, and Tim on STRATEGIKON to discuss the practical and real circumstances facing every Australian at...
Published 08/04/20