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The media glosses over AI usage and geopolitics. We dive into how both go hand-in-hand, speak with up-and-coming major players, and shed light on groundbreaking events in our wheelhouses: Africa,...
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The media glosses over AI usage and geopolitics. We dive into how both go hand-in-hand, speak with up-and-coming major players, and shed light on groundbreaking events in our wheelhouses: Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.
onthefringepodcast.substack.com
Reach out to us with any questions, comments, or if you'd like to be a guest at onthefringe.podcast1@gmail.com
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onthefringepodcast.substack.com
Reach out to us with any questions, comments, or if you'd like to be a guest at onthefringe.podcast1@gmail.com
Episodi & Post
Episodi
Post
7 OTT 2026 · In this episode, Dave and Gav sit down with friend of the podcast Joe Barnes. Joe is one of the few people from the West to have visited all 15 countries in the former Soviet Union since the Soviet Union broke up 30 years ago.
In February 2022, Joe set off on a trip on a trip through the former USSR. He started in Russia and visited each one of the fifteen countries, then wrote a fascinating book about his experiences.
In our hour-long chat (it’s a record) we dive into what is happening on the ground in each country, including the cultural and historical dynamics that have shaped the last three decades in each country. In the wide ranging chat, Joe peels back the regional dynamics at play in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia and shares his deep insight into the vastly different cultural dynamics at play from experiencing these countries on the ground.
After listening, you’ll come away with a much deeper understanding of the former USSR today and why throwing these countries into a single basket (as was done before) makes for a misguided or lopsided view of some of the world’s least understood—and most important places.
We've had Joe on the podcast before to talk about https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/season-3-episode-2-kazakhstan-from-30-000-feet-featuring/id1768653644?i=1000721690064 and https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/season-3-episode-23-kyrgyzstan-land-of-mountains/id1768653644?i=1000741230656 Don't miss those episodes!
Joe’s book is available here and we both wholeheartedly recommend it (and make no commission on this link):
https://www.amazon.com/Farewell-Russia-Journey-Through-Former/dp/B0GPNJXB5B/
If you enjoyed the episode, please do us a quick favor and subscribe, leave us a star rating, and a comment. Or send us an email: onthefringe.podcast1@gmail.com. We always love hearing from our growing On the Fringe community!
All the best from both of us,
Dave + Gav
4 OTT 2026 · In this short bonus episode, Dave + Gav conduct a brief and succinct analysis on a recent Singaporean goverment policy to help Singleporeans...ahem Singaporeans find a partner and start a family.
Singapore has one of the lowest birth rates in the world. (Sorry, I made a mistake 15 seconds in!)
And, the local government, https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dont-waste-time-make-a-dime-singapore-decides-to/id1768653644?i=1000790355571 came up with a plan to play matchmaker + provide more financial incentives for couples to have kids.
In the episode, Dave + Gav analyze the new policies, and spot an important piece of the puzzle that we believe the Singaporean government is missing.
If you enjoyed it or learned something, give us a star rating, subscribe, or shoot us an email: onthefringe.podcast1@gmail.com
We appreciate the love from our growing On the Fringe community.
All the best from both of us!
Dave + Gav
30 SET 2026 · This a quick bonus episode/update about the current war between Pakistan and the Taliban in Afghanistan. Pakistan has signed on to the Makkah Accord, along with Saudi Arabia and Turkiye to come to one another’s mutual defense. Will this agreement do anything to resolve the tit-for-tat conflict? Here’s our take.
28 SET 2026 · In recent weeks, the Houthi's attacks on Saudi Arabia have exposed a major problem for the kingdom.
In this episode, we dive into what the three countries that have signed on the Makkah Agreement (Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan) have to offer one another, and why on paper this looks like an effective deterrence against a group like the Houthis or the Taliban. We also dive into why access does not equal utilization...Essentially, why the Saudis are largely left fending for themselves despite having a brand new alliance that looks increasingly more like a paper Megazord.
If you enjoyed the episode, do us a HUGE favor. Leave us a comment and star rating.
You can get in touch with us at onthefringe.podcast1@gmail.com
Thanks for listening and all the best from both of us!
Dave + Gav
27 SET 2026 · According to CSIS, intellectual property losses cost the U.S. economy between $225—$600 billion per year. These come from losing trade secrets, illegal technology transfers, and copyright infringement to name a few. It was recently reported that critical parts to the F-35 fighter jet were shipped commercially between Australia and the U.S. and routed through Hong Kong. Then, China took possession of them.
In this quick bonus episode, Dave and Gavin theorize why and how this happened, and the potential damage to U.S. national security as a rival power now possesses military technology the U.S. has fiercely protected. Also, they touch on the importance of securing supply chains and components.
If you enjoyed the episode, give us a star rating, leave us a comment, or shoot us an email! Onthefringe.podcast1@gmail.com
All the best from both of us,
Dave + Gav
Trascritto
23 SET 2026 · Recently, there’s been much talk of the events occurring around Yemen, but less talk about the group at the center of it all, Ansar Allah, generally referred to as the Houthis.
In this episode, Gav and Dave provide insight into the group causing chaos in the Gulf and East Africa. We dive into the origins of the group and what makes them exceptional and dangerous….and such a potentially existential threat to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
They also dive into their motivations, and some of the remarkable feats they have managed to pull off on the battlefield, all while growing over tenfold during a brutal war of attrition that has lasted over a decade.
If you enjoyed the episode or learned something, share, subscribe, and let us know. We always love hearing from our growing On the Fringe community.
Shoot us an email at onthefringe.podcast1@gmail.com
All the best from both of us,
Dave + Gav
20 SET 2026 · In this episode, we're shining a light on the growing humanitarian crisis on both sides of the Gulf of Aden. To really understand what is happening in Yemen, you also have to look at the ongoing refugee crisis that is too big to no longer be ignored.
The impact of the Houthis siezing more terrain and control of Yemen will spillover into an entire region that is currently on edge, and critically, doesn't have the resources to potentially aid thousands (or more) of Yemeni refugees showing up at their doorstep. (And hot flash, the UN doesn't either).
If you learned something from the episode, share it with your friends and let us know! onthefringe.podcast1@gmail.com
Take care and all the best from both of us,
Dave and Gav
17 SET 2026 · On this bonus episode, the boys talk about Singapore’s novel solution to the problem of constant electronic stimulation...paying people to read books. The country is trialling a program where people will be fiscally rewarded for their reading efforts, another entry in a long history of money-based social engineering out of the island state.
Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe to On the Fringe for more.
All the best from both of us, Dave + Gav
16 SET 2026 · While working on another episode, Gavin and Dave ran into a sadly familiar problem, lamenting the absence of a once constant companion, that old fan favorite, the CIA World Factbook.
Back in high school, we took the CIA World Factbook for granted as we nerded out learning about flags of the world, populations, and obscure info like how many airports does Ukraine have. Little did we know that there would come a day when it would disappear, and we were stuck with old numbers to understand a current situation. Here's https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-world-factbook-has-been-closed/id1768653644?i=1000748907963
Now that it’s gone, is the next best source of info Gemini, Chat GPT, and other AI Bots? We don’t know. We just know that we both genuinely miss the best repository of the world of the age at our fingertips.
Shoot us an email, and leave us a star rating or a comment. We always love hearing from our growing On the Fringe Community: onthefringepodcast1@gmail.com
All the best from both of us,
Dave + Gav
If you're looking for a workaround of snapshots in time: https://worldfactbookarchive.org/
13 SET 2026 · In this episode, Gav and Dave dive into the implications of the growing geopolitical crisis in the Gulf. Houthi forces have recently exposed key terrain in their ongoing conflict with Saudi Arabia (and it's not the chokepoint at Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait).
On September 3rd, an attempt by the internationally recognized government backed by Saudi Arabia to launch an offensive against the Houthi forces that control the majority of Yemen’s populated area quickly went awry. As of publication, Houthi forces have overwhelmed government positions and seized control of the entirety of Yemen’s Red Sea coast, including islands located in the Red Sea and the strategically important port own of Al-Mokha. This is disastrous for the opposition to the Houthis, but it is also disastrous for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which has seen several cities and economically critical pipelines and oil facilities attacked by ballistic missiles and drones.
The Kingdom has had to shut down the East-West pipeline, after it was hit by ballistic missiles originating from somewhere in Iraq. The East-West pipeline was keeping the Red Sea ports supplied with oil from the Eastern oil-fields that had otherwise been cut off from oil markets by the war around the Strait of Hormuz; the Saudis are now counting the barrels it still has located in the Red Sea port of Yanbu that are destined for export to the Sumed pipeline that traverses Egypt. There is every possibility that the Houthis may have cut off all Saudi oil exports to the world…this is 4% of all the oil currently on the market, and while that may seem like a small number, it could lead to one of the most geopolitically important capitulations of the 21st century.
For more on the Mecca Agreement, check out this episode:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shift-happens-outlining-the-mecca-agreement-between/id1768653644?i=1000786368393
If you enjoyed the episode, shoot us a message, share it with your friends, and subscribe. We always love hearing from our growing On the Fringe community.
onthefringe.podcast1@gmail.com
All the best from both of us,
Dave and Gav
The media glosses over AI usage and geopolitics. We dive into how both go hand-in-hand, speak with up-and-coming major players, and shed light on groundbreaking events in our wheelhouses: Africa,...
mostra di più
The media glosses over AI usage and geopolitics. We dive into how both go hand-in-hand, speak with up-and-coming major players, and shed light on groundbreaking events in our wheelhouses: Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.
onthefringepodcast.substack.com
Reach out to us with any questions, comments, or if you'd like to be a guest at onthefringe.podcast1@gmail.com
mostra meno
onthefringepodcast.substack.com
Reach out to us with any questions, comments, or if you'd like to be a guest at onthefringe.podcast1@gmail.com
Informazioni
| Autore | On The Fringe |
| Organizzazione | On The Fringe |
| Categorie | Notizie: approfondimenti , Località e viaggi , Tecnologia |
| Sito | www.spreaker.com |
| onthefringe.podcast1@gmail.com |
Copyright 2026 - Spreaker Inc. an iHeartMedia Company
