Small World, Big Problems

Political Football: The Geopolitics of the 2026 World Cup

Join us for a special audio-video episode, also available in video form on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqBlbd4_1TU. Professor Edward P. Joseph s

Small State, Big Stakes: President Jakov Milatović on Economic Diplomacy, EU Accession, and and Montenegro’s National Identity

Sanjana Polapragada sits down with President Jakov Milatović of Montenegro, NATO’s youngest head of state, for a timely conversation on how Montenegro, as a small state,

“Security is a Team Sport”: The Rising Industry of Private Sector Intelligence

Riley Bryant sits down with Dr. Deborah Wituski, a 20-year veteran of the CIA and an early contributor to the emerging field of private sector intelligence services. In

Democracy in Decline: What a More Authoritarian World Means for Global Security and World Order

Krithiga Narayanan hosts a conversation with Michael Coppedge, co-founder and principal investigator of the Varieties of Democracy Project (V-Dem), one of the world’s lea

Inside Iran with Trita Parsi

This episode was recorded on Jan 21, 2026. Wasay Mir hosts a conversation with Trita Parsi, Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute and one of the most influent

National Security Business: How to Get Started

Sanjana Polapragada hosts a two-speaker conversation with Robert Miller, a seasoned “startup statesman” who has advised companies such as CrowdAI (now acquired by Saab) a

Diplomacy Without Borders: Negotiating the Future of Global Governance

Leila Olukoga talks with Ambassador Juan Jose Gomez Camacho of Mexico. Ambassador Gomez Camacho has represented his country as ambassador to eight countries and led inter

The Evolution of Modern Airpower with Brigadier General Geoffrey Weiss

Connor Hall talks with US Air Force Brigadier General Geoffrey Weiss on the evolution of modern airpower theory, the role airpower has played in recent conflicts, and the

How China Became a Great Power, with Dr. Oriana Skylar Mastro

Erik Schuh talks with Dr. Oriana Skylar Mastro about how China became a great power, discussing her recent book on the topic. They dive into China's rise compared to hist

Dr. Ursula Wilder - Intelligence and Leader Psychological Assessment

Luke Litle talks with Dr. Ursula Wilder about the importance of understanding the psychology of foreign leaders and of ourselves, the psychology of historical figures, an

Dr. Mara Karlin - The Pentagon's Chief Strategist on Deterrence and US National Security

Luke Litle talks with Dr. Mara Karlin about the development of the 2022 National Defense Strategy, various practical approaches to deterring adversaries, recent US securi

German Awakening: Zeitenwende and Germany’s New Role in Europe

Days after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, new in office, gave the now famous Zeitenwende speech in which he proclaim

An interview with NATO's youngest leader

In a first for Small World Big Problems, this week we interviewed a sitting head of state: Jakov Milatović, the 37-year-old president of Montenegro. Milatović was electe

Echoes of the Cold War: A Discussion on the State of Russian Spies in the West

Russia has a long-fabled history of deep-cover spies in the West. Known as the Illegals Program, these spies enter Western countries under false identities to conduct esp

Hidden Gears: The Inner Workings of the Defense Industry, Part 2

In part two of this interview with Richard "Otter" Bew, we dive deep into the challenges currently facing the defense industry. The digital revolution is upending how we

Hidden Gears: The Inner Workings of the Defense Industry, Part 1

The American defense industry employs over a million people—in the military, in civilian jobs, and at private companies—and every part matters. Few people have spent as m

Transatlantic Security Cooperation amidst Global Uncertainty

The EU and the US have long been steadfast partners across the Atlantic, with healthy trade relations and cooperation in numerous sectors of foreign policy, including com

Deepening Crises and Opportunities in Bolivia

Over the last 15 years, Bolivia has experienced political and economic ups and downs. The MAS, a socialist part with a leftist agenda, led a period of high growth and a v

The Dragon and the Bear: Unpacking Sino-Russian Relations Amidst War

We are joined by Sergey Radchenko, a Wilson E. Schmidt Distinguished Professor at SAIS Europe, and Director of the Bologna Institute for Policy Research. An expert on Sin

Inside Cyber Intelligence: Exploring the Global Cyber Threat Landscape and US Cyber Policy

Cyber operations are becoming increasingly ubiquitous as a means for nation state and non-nation state actors to engage in intelligence collection, subversion, and strate