The hottest Geopolitics Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top World Politics Topics

Paint By Number

Doomberg • 7300 implied HN points • 25 Jul 25
🌍 World Politics Geopolitics
  1. The EU imposed a new sanctions package against Russia, but previous sanctions have had little effect on Russia's economy.
  2. Russia is now producing its own drones at a rapid pace, increasing its military capabilities significantly.
  3. Energy resources play a crucial role in a country's military strength, and the EU's energy situation is getting worse.

The Predatory Hegemon (w/ Stephen Walt) | The Chris Hedges Report

The Chris Hedges Report • 134 implied HN points • 24 Feb 26
🌍 World Politics Geopolitics
  1. U.S. foreign policy that prioritizes short-term extraction and personal gain over alliances and norms pushes other countries to "de-risk" and build alternatives, which will shrink American influence, wealth, and security over time.
  2. A leadership style that demands flattery, sidelines experienced diplomats, and weaponizes economic tools erodes soft power and international trust, making the U.S. an unreliable partner.
  3. The likely result is a more fragmented, competitive, and unstable world order — with Europe and others acting more independently, weaker global cooperation on climate and health, and greater space for authoritarian powers to grow.

The Khanjar Dial Edition

Why is this interesting? • 784 implied HN points • 06 Jan 26
🎭️ Culture Geopolitics
  1. Khanjar-dial watches were gifts from the Omani Sultan to friends, military personnel, and allies, blending royal symbolism with personal recognition.
  2. These watches are tied to geopolitical history—used to reward service in conflicts like the Dhofar uprising—and can command very high prices at auction.
  3. The practice continues today in subtler form, with engraved casebacks, making these pieces culturally significant and highly sought after by collectors.

New Painting Video: The Monroe Doctrine Is Bullshit

Caitlin’s Newsletter • 1001 implied HN points • 04 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics Geopolitics
  1. The Monroe Doctrine is presented as a hypocritical justification for US intervention in Latin America.
  2. A painting of Nicolas Maduro is used to humanize him and to push back against narratives that justify external pressure on Venezuela.
  3. The newsletter is reader-supported and asks for subscriptions or donations, while freely allowing reuse and republication of its content.

hard limits to soft power

bad cattitude • 206 implied HN points • 11 Feb 26
🌍 World Politics Geopolitics
  1. Soft power — persuasion, institutions, and rights — creates the best kind of society, but it only survives if backed by hard power that can deter and punish coercion.
  2. If elites repudiate the need for hard power and become overly permissive, criminals or external aggressors can exploit that weakness and soft systems can collapse into violence or warlord rule.
  3. The world is shifting from a soft‑power consensus to harder realpolitik, so institutions built on persuasion are losing influence while more forceful actors reassert control to guarantee order.
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Gallipoli II

John’s Substack • 19 implied HN points • 16 Mar 26
🌍 World Politics Geopolitics
  1. The US president appears desperate and is pushing for China and other allies to join the Iran war while openly considering force to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and seize Kharg Island.
  2. Trying to force open the Strait or mount an amphibious assault on Kharg Island would be highly risky, likely to fail, and would make other countries reluctant to join a war seen as losing.
  3. Close ties to Israeli leaders and their advisers have pulled the US deeper into the conflict, a move that looks like a major strategic mistake.

Five(ish) charts that give some context to Venezuelan oil

Sustainability by numbers • 987 implied HN points • 05 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics Geopolitics
  1. Venezuela holds the world’s largest proved oil reserves, but much of that is heavy or extra-heavy oil in the Orinoco Belt and the proved total depends on optimistic economic and technical assumptions.
  2. Despite huge reserves, Venezuela produces very little today after years of underinvestment, mismanagement and sanctions, so its reserves-to-production ratio is extremely high and output is far below past peaks.
  3. U.S. refineries still rely on heavy crude that the U.S. doesn’t produce much of, so Venezuela’s heavy oil is strategically valuable even if it isn’t currently being fully exploited.

China on Venezuela

ChinaTalk • 800 implied HN points • 07 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics Geopolitics
  1. China condemned the US action as a breach of international law and framed it as American hegemony, sparking a debate at home about whether the raid offers a template or warning for Taiwan. Some commentators see it as a quick‑strike model for forcing faits accomplis, while others insist the Venezuela case is not analogous to cross‑strait issues.
  2. The operation exposed weaknesses in Venezuela’s air defenses that used Chinese equipment, prompting Taiwanese observers to mock Chinese radar and argue US forces can overwhelm systems tied to Chinese arms. Analysts caution, however, that Venezuela lacked China’s most advanced systems and suffered from mixed sourcing and maintenance problems, so the failure may not prove broad Chinese inferiority.
  3. Beijing has real economic stakes in Venezuela — modest oil flows plus roughly $13–15 billion in loans — and the biggest risk is financial and political, not immediate military loss. A US‑aligned government in Caracas could reprioritize creditors or restrict Chinese firms, forcing China to absorb losses or renegotiate access to assets.

Weekend Update #172: Is Ukraine Causing More Russian Losses Than Putin Can Replace?

Phillips’s Newsletter • 291 implied HN points • 15 Feb 26
🌍 World Politics Geopolitics
  1. Recent data suggest Russia lost more troops than it could replace in Dec 2025–Jan 2026, creating roughly a 25% shortfall; if that trend holds or Ukraine raises the pressure, Russian advances could stall.
  2. A major Western speech at Munich omitted any mention of Russia or Ukraine and emphasized seeking a negotiated end acceptable to Moscow, highlighting how many European leaders still rely on US support and have not built a strong, independent European defence pillar.
  3. A senior Ukrainian strategist says durable peace is impossible while Putin sets the terms, so Ukraine should aim for a long, stable positional stalemate that blocks Russian gains, minimizes rear terror, and increases pressure on the Kremlin.

March 11, 2026

Letters from an American • 29 implied HN points • 12 Mar 26
🌍 World Politics Geopolitics
  1. President Trump says the war with Iran is nearly over, but Iran is resisting, rejecting ceasefires, and shows no sign of accepting an immediate end.
  2. Iran’s mining of the Strait of Hormuz and strikes on oil infrastructure have raised global energy prices and disrupted shipping and supply chains for many industrial goods.
  3. The conflict is already costly and chaotic — with U.S. casualties, heavy munitions use, likely civilian harm from a school strike, and no clear U.S. endgame as allies disagree on how long to fight.

[EXCERPTS] Ed Luttwak

ChinaTalk • 311 implied HN points • 04 Feb 26
🌍 World Politics Geopolitics
  1. Deterrence is psychological: you only stop an opponent by shaping what they believe is truly costly, so threats must be targeted at what that enemy actually values and fears.
  2. Political systems shape strategy: autocracies can surprise and force top-down moves but lack self-correction, while democracies keep initiative and genuine commitment; centralized ambitions to seize status (like challenging a dominant navy) risk strategic overreach.
  3. Removing war from Europe removed an engine of national dynamism: banning real combat made armed forces ceremonial, damped social energy and population growth, and weakened states' willingness and capacity to use force when necessary.

Live: The U.S. and Israel Strike Iran

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 102 implied HN points • 28 Feb 26
🌍 World Politics Geopolitics
  1. The U.S. and Israel carried out joint air strikes on multiple Iranian military sites, and initial reports claim Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, has been killed.
  2. Iran retaliated with strikes targeting Israel and other sites across the Middle East, and Israeli authorities have instructed residents to stay in bomb shelters.
  3. The crisis risks major regional escalation and global consequences, and experts are convening live to analyze how events may unfold.

Resistance101: Forging a New Movement for Palestine in Italy DOCUMENTARY

The Chris Hedges Report • 144 implied HN points • 21 Feb 26
🌍 World Politics Geopolitics
  1. Italian dockworkers have organized strikes and mass demonstrations to halt arms shipments to Israel in response to the ongoing violence in Gaza.
  2. These actions are a direct challenge to the inaction of governments and international institutions, showing grassroots workers stepping in where authorities refuse to act.
  3. The port disruptions are framed as a model of industrial resistance that could spread to other countries and potentially shape efforts to stop the violence.

Trump Moves Closer To War With Venezuela, And Other Notes

Caitlin’s Newsletter • 1322 implied HN points • 18 Dec 25
🌍 World Politics Geopolitics
  1. Trump is escalating toward open confrontation with Venezuela by ordering a total blockade and targeting oil tankers, which risks direct military clashes.
  2. The administration has labeled fentanyl a “weapon of mass destruction” and accused Venezuela despite evidence the country doesn’t produce it, repeating the tactic of using dubious pretexts for intervention.
  3. U.S. foreign policy and much of the media treat unilateral sanctions and regime‑change rhetoric as acceptable, empowering warmongers and crowding out peaceful options like neutrality.

Our Year in Review

ChinaTalk • 607 implied HN points • 15 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics Geopolitics
  1. A small, independent media project carved out an underserved niche covering US–China tech and AI, growing rapidly to about 65k subscribers and large podcast audiences.
  2. They prioritize timely, substantive podcasts and newsletters over long, funder-driven reports. Relying on unrestricted funding preserves editorial independence but limits resources for hiring and scaling the team.
  3. Coverage centers on tech and AI, export controls and chips, defense and elite politics and history. The project also curates big-picture lists and predictions to shape debate about US–China relations.

Trump Can’t Win Greenland Without Losing Europe

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 607 implied HN points • 20 Jan 26
🌐 International Geopolitics
  1. The European right is winning by promising sovereignty and dignity, and aggressive U.S. moves over Greenland would undercut those political messages.
  2. Using tariffs to pressure countries into selling Greenland is a petulant, coercive tactic that risks alienating conservative allies in Europe.
  3. Even if Greenland is strategically important, trying to seize it through extortion will likely damage U.S.–European relations and turn any gain into a costly loss.

Why the Iran war is so tricky

Unreported Truths • 30 implied HN points • 16 Mar 26
🌍 World Politics Geopolitics
  1. Iran already has enough enriched uranium that it could be turned into a nuclear weapon, and the size and effects of such a bomb would be uncertain but potentially catastrophic.
  2. Finding and seizing those uranium stores would be very hard and dangerous because enriched uranium is hard to detect and is likely kept in fortified or underground sites that would require a large, risky special-forces operation.
  3. This creates a brutal choice: keeping pressure and control might stop Iran from finishing a bomb but risks wider conflict and economic damage like a closed Strait of Hormuz, while easing off would likely let Iran build a weapon, so there’s no easy, risk-free option.

The Davos Crowd Is Wrong About Globalization

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 561 implied HN points • 22 Jan 26
🌐 International Geopolitics
  1. Elites at Davos claim globalization is retreating, but broader trends suggest it's still accelerating. Outside of elite circles, countries and markets keep integrating and trading more.
  2. Protectionist moves can have unintended effects, pushing other countries to open their markets instead. For example, U.S. tariffs helped nudge Canada to allow Chinese-made electric cars.
  3. Wider access to foreign goods like cheaper electric cars brings clear consumer benefits while security worries are real but likely limited and manageable. Local bans or safeguards can address specific risks without stopping overall trade gains.

A crime and a tragedy: the Iran war

World Game • 21 implied HN points • 04 Mar 26
🌍 World Politics Geopolitics
  1. The attack came when Iran posed little immediate threat and aimed to topple the regime without a plan, but destroying a state will create a vacuum and unpredictable, likely hostile consequences.
  2. The violence spread quickly across the region, hitting Gulf states and energy infrastructure, driving oil prices up and helping rivals while hurting Europe.
  3. The US approach favored spectacle over strategy, lacking a roadmap or understanding of the fallout, so the chaos could spiral out of control and backfire politically.

Conflict Acceleration

Pieter’s Newsletter • 159 implied HN points • 03 Oct 24
🌍 World Politics Geopolitics
  1. Iran launched a missile attack against Israel, but it was mostly stopped, showing the reckless nature of their actions. The attack could've hit important places, highlighting the dangers in the region.
  2. There was a recent terrorist attack in Jaffa where seven Israelis were killed. This violence adds to the ongoing struggles and tensions, and it seems to strengthen Israel's resolve to fight back.
  3. Amid these dark events, there was a positive story of a victim from ISIS being rescued in Gaza. This offers hope that, despite the violence, there are people working for good and a chance for better days.

A Continent Isolated

Wrong Side of History • 408 implied HN points • 24 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics Geopolitics
  1. Europe is exposed and lacks the military and economic muscle to deter bullying from powers like the United States, which may force a painful rethink and push the continent toward greater self-reliance or unity.
  2. The right is realigning: some nationalist movements may become pro‑European and civic/multiracial, while others move toward white‑identitarian politics, and how they answer questions of identity will determine future conservative governance.
  3. Liberalism is under strain as intelligent people skew liberal for partly self-selecting reasons, and elites may struggle to defend liberal values while cultural and technological trends—like smartphone distraction and falling youth employment—erode social cohesion.

Plenty to Spare

Doomberg • 7585 implied HN points • 28 Jun 25
🌍 World Politics Geopolitics
  1. Global demand for oil, natural gas, and coal reached all-time highs in 2024, showing that despite efforts for renewable energy, fossil fuels still dominate our energy supply. This suggests that we still rely heavily on traditional energy sources.
  2. Russia's natural gas production has rebounded, making it a significant player in the global market. Much of this gas is consumed domestically, but there’s still a portion available for export.
  3. Europe is planning to ban Russian gas imports by 2027, which raises questions about how they will meet their energy needs without it. This situation will likely change global energy markets for years to come.

Former CIA Venezuela chief is raiding clients from Rubio-affiliated lobbying firm while the US continues seizing oil tankers

All-Source Intelligence Fusion • 996 implied HN points • 27 Dec 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Geopolitics
  1. Enrique de la Torre, a former CIA station chief for Venezuela, left the Rubio-linked Continental Strategy to start Tower Strategy and brought four clients with him.
  2. Tower Strategy’s initial clients include Odyssey Marine (which has a history of international legal scandals), Bitdeer, T1 Energy, and UGT Renewables/Sun Africa, so the firm represents a mix of controversial and strategic energy/tech interests.
  3. De la Torre and his partner James Story openly back aggressive U.S. action to oust Maduro while U.S. forces have been seizing Venezuelan oil tankers, and their career moves reflect a broader pattern of ex-intelligence officials moving into lobbying and foreign-agent work that can carry legal risks.

Japan, South Korea, and Poland need nuclear weapons immediately

Noahpinion • 16117 implied HN points • 19 Feb 25
🌍 World Politics Geopolitics
  1. Countries like Japan, South Korea, and Poland need nuclear weapons for better security. With threats from powerful neighbors, having their own nukes could help protect them.
  2. The U.S. nuclear umbrella isn't as reliable anymore. Domestic politics and shifting priorities in America make it uncertain whether the U.S. would defend its allies against nuclear threats.
  3. Past cases show that having nuclear weapons can actually reduce the risk of conflict. Countries like India and Pakistan have avoided major wars partly because of their nuclear arsenals.

Sudan, Venezuela, And Other Notes

Caitlin’s Newsletter • 1504 implied HN points • 07 Dec 25
🌍 World Politics Geopolitics
  1. Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces have reportedly carried out massive massacres in places like El Fasher, and the UAE is accused of arming them while Western powers largely ignore it.
  2. Calls for US military intervention in Venezuela are often suspicious and dangerous, and history shows US regime-change actions tend to make things worse rather than help civilians.
  3. People claiming emotional relationships with chatbots point to deep loneliness and emotional disconnection, since a real relationship requires genuine curiosity about another person’s inner experience.

US Regime Change Interventionism Is Reliably Disastrous, And Other Notes

Caitlin’s Newsletter • 1671 implied HN points • 30 Nov 25
🌍 World Politics Geopolitics
  1. US regime‑change interventionism reliably causes disaster and is often sold with dishonest pretexts; current US moves on Venezuela look driven more by geopolitical interests like oil than by genuine drug‑control concerns.
  2. Serving in or working for the US military/intelligence apparatus can increase the risk of violent behavior back home, and US policy shows hypocrisy by pardoning allies and labeling convenient enemies while ignoring root causes.
  3. Public radicalization and moral double standards are widespread — examples include celebration of extremist leaders and calls to 'deradicalize' victims instead of aggressors — and generative AI is simultaneously destroying creative careers and making it harder to tell what’s real online.

Are oil price spikes good for the U.S.?

Economic Forces • 10 implied HN points • 19 Mar 26
💼 Business Geopolitics
  1. The US is now a net exporter of oil and gas because of shale, so big oil price spikes produce a modest net gain for the country instead of a large national loss. That gain is small relative to GDP — on the order of tens of billions a year.
  2. To first order the national effect is just net traded barrels times the price change (a simple rectangle), while quantity responses (elasticities) are a smaller triangle that trims importer losses but enlarges exporter gains.
  3. Gains are uneven: energy producers and owners capture most of the upside while workers and consumers face real-wage losses, and higher energy prices act as both a cost-push shock and a demand shift at home, raising inflation and complicating monetary policy.

Wang Yi signals China's welcome to Trump's visit soon

Pekingnology • 75 implied HN points • 08 Mar 26
🌍 World Politics Geopolitics
  1. China has signaled it welcomes and expects President Trump’s upcoming visit and wants both sides to make thorough preparations.
  2. Wang Yi urged mutual respect, managing differences, and removing unnecessary distractions so the two countries can pursue win‑win cooperation and keep relations stable.
  3. There are concerns that summit planning — particularly on the U.S. side — is inadequate, which worries Beijing and could undermine the visit’s outcomes.

Attribution Error: A Case Study in How China Narratives Are Built on Sand

Pekingnology • 196 implied HN points • 21 Feb 26
🌍 World Politics Geopolitics
  1. Check who actually runs a site before calling a story state propaganda; similar-looking domains can be totally different and official registries can confirm affiliation.
  2. News often spreads through reposts and commercial portals, so the original source and its local context matter more than the outlet you first see.
  3. Don’t infer political intent without verifying attribution and context; apply labels like “industrial policy” consistently instead of forcing stories to fit a neat narrative.

Let's Have a War

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 8233 implied HN points • 17 Jun 25
🌍 World Politics Geopolitics
  1. The author is traveling to London for a free speech forum, indicating the importance of discussing free speech issues.
  2. There are emerging tensions in the Middle East that might lead to chaos, which raises concerns for many.
  3. Updates on current events will continue to be shared, emphasizing the need to stay informed.

The Stranger King of Venezuela

Altered States of Monetary Consciousness • 581 implied HN points • 12 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics Geopolitics
  1. A “Stranger King” is a recurring mythic pattern where an outsized outsider gains legitimacy by seeming above the rules, forming alliances with local elites, and being domesticated through social contracts rather than simple conquest.
  2. The US intervention in Venezuela reads like a Stranger King scenario: an overt grab for resources framed as overthrowing a despot, with some Venezuelan elites or exiles potentially treating it as a useful usurpation rather than a straightforward invasion.
  3. Trump projects a Stranger King persona at home by posing as an estranged outsider above norms, which helps followers ignore his faults but also risks alienating supporters and creating political instability.

Will Trump Win Greenland or Lose Europe? Plus. . .

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 533 implied HN points • 20 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics Geopolitics
  1. The president’s push to claim Greenland has alarmed European leaders and could seriously damage U.S.–Europe relations and trade ties.
  2. Smuggled Starlink terminals are helping Iranian protesters bypass internet shutdowns and letting images and videos of the crackdown reach the world.
  3. The spread of legal sports betting has hurt sports and fans by fueling addiction, debt, and game-rigging scandals, and its cultural damage is hard to reverse.

Coleman Hughes: The Simple Truth About the War in Gaza

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 5573 implied HN points • 04 Aug 25
🌍 World Politics Geopolitics
  1. Hamas often causes suffering in Gaza to turn global opinion against Israel. They use this suffering to manipulate how the world sees the conflict.
  2. The media shows drastic images of hunger and suffering in Gaza, stirring up strong emotions and calls for action from countries like France and Britain.
  3. Despite the complexity of the situation, it's important to recognize that Israel is often seen as the one defending against terrorism, while Hamas uses cruel tactics against both Israelis and Palestinians.

Viral satellite imagery of U.S. military assets around Iran NOT taken by Chinese satellites: Hu Bo

Pekingnology • 132 implied HN points • 27 Feb 26
🌍 World Politics Geopolitics
  1. A private firm released high-resolution satellite photos showing U.S. military assets near Iran, which drew wide attention and speculation about where the images came from.
  2. Independent imagery analysts say the pictures match the orbital data and resolution of U.S. and European commercial satellites, so they likely did not originate from Chinese government satellites.
  3. Commercial providers like Maxar/Vantor, Planet, and Sentinel can supply such imagery, so a Chinese company publishing analysis does not by itself mean the source data was Chinese, and firms may publish these images to gain visibility.

Why We Will Never Stop Bombing the Middle East

Gideon's Substack • 38 implied HN points • 10 Mar 26
🌍 World Politics Geopolitics
  1. Every US administration has promised to pull back from the Middle East but has ended up deepening America’s involvement through interventions, support for allies, and periodic bombing.
  2. The core reason isn’t just lobbies or oil or contractors but the US’s hegemonic position and the public’s desire to disengage without accepting the risks and costs of truly leaving, which makes withdrawal politically and strategically hard.
  3. Empires don’t just walk away, so the pattern of managing regional conflicts with diplomacy plus occasional force is likely to keep repeating until a major collapse or catastrophe forces a permanent change, and the current war could help trigger that instability.

The Privatization of Everything

Anima Mundi • 370 implied HN points • 25 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics Geopolitics
  1. Public authority is retreating and private power is filling the vacuums, so things that used to be public are increasingly controlled by wealthy individuals, corporations, and paid private bodies.
  2. That privatization creates unaccountable two‑tier systems—family banks, paid “boards,” philanthropic exits, and corporate control of key technologies—and produces real harms like preventable deaths, deeper inequality, and weakened global cooperation.
  3. With institutions weakening, the practical response is to bear witness, grieve, and sustain community integrity while trying to build new collective forms; naming the change and acting with integrity is itself a form of resistance.

Top Links 981 Deutsche Bank is back (kinda). The "in-between" places of crowded Africa. The Abraham accords and the Moroccan-Algerian arms race.

Chartbook • 529 implied HN points • 13 Jan 26
🌐 International Geopolitics
  1. Deutsche Bank is making a comeback in global finance, but its return is partial and comes with important caveats.
  2. Across Africa, crowded urban and rural areas coexist with overlooked 'in-between' places, creating distinct social and economic pressures.
  3. The Abraham Accords are reshaping regional alliances, and those shifts are tied to a rising military competition between Morocco and Algeria.

America the Rogue State

The Chris Hedges Report • 689 implied HN points • 05 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics Geopolitics
  1. America’s democratic checks and balances are collapsing as power concentrates in the executive and corporate interests, sidelining Congress, courts, and diplomacy.
  2. U.S. foreign policy increasingly relies on lawless military interventions and covert actions for strategic and economic gain, producing disasters in countries from Venezuela to Iraq and Libya.
  3. A corporate-controlled media, money-soaked elections, and expanding police and surveillance powers at home suppress dissent, enrich elites, and strip protections for people and the environment.