Iran, Hormuz, another tanker on fire - sure, fine, but the real question is: what's actually driving the behavior here, and it's not the diplomacy everyone keeps quoting. Marko and Jacob argue it out: chokepoint tolls, the memorandum nobody trusts, oil prices doing more work than anyone wants to admit. Then Europe, because apparently that's still a thing - NATO's arms-deal theater, Le Pen's conviction, a French case nobody's making. And yes, the World Cup gets its forty minutes. It's a good one.

Timestamps:

(00:00) - Welcome and Episode Preview

(01:00) - World Cup vs World News

(02:03) - Hormuz Tanker Attacks

(03:07) - Oil Prices Drive Reality

(30:52) - Phony Russia Sanctions

(32:46) - Europe Rearms and Le Pen

(37:36) - Ukraine Stalemate and Crimea

(47:33) - World Cup Trump and FIFA

(01:02:20) - Birthright Soccer Paradox

(01:03:12) - Why World Cup Matters

(01:08:15) - American Grit on Pitch

(01:10:18) - Announcers and Fan Culture

(01:12:28) - Norway and Haaland Mythos

(01:13:36) - Trump FIFA and Nationalism

(01:16:30) - Sports as Peaceful Outlet

(01:23:30) - Predictions and Final Picks

(01:26:07) - Closing Love for World Cup

Referenced in the Show:

Geopolitical Cousins is produced and edited by Audiographies LLC. More information at audiographies.com

Jacob Shapiro is a speaker, consultant, author, and researcher covering global politics and affairs, economics, markets, technology, history, and culture. He speaks to audiences of all sizes around the world, helps global multinationals make strategic decisions about political risks and opportunities, and works directly with investors to grow and protect their assets in today’s volatile global environment. His insights help audiences across industries like finance, agriculture, and energy make sense of the world.

Jacob Shapiro Site: jacobshapiro.com

Jacob Shapiro LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jacob-l-s-a9337416

Jacob Twitter: x.com/JacobShap

Jacob Shapiro Substack: jashap.substack.com/subscribe

Marko Papic is a macro and geopolitical expert at BCA Research, a global investment research firm. He provides in-depth analysis that combines geopolitics and markets in a framework called GeoMacro. He is also the author of Geopolitical Alpha: An Investment Framework for Predicting the Future.

Marko’s Book & Newsletter: www.geopoliticalalpha.com/marko-papic

Marko’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marko-papic-geopolitics/

Marko’s Twitter: https://x.com/Geo_papic

Marko’s Macro & Geopolitical Research at BCA: https://www.bcaresearch.com/marketing/geomacro

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Geopolitical Cousins

A Little Belgium Cherub Gets to Pee in Trump's Pool