Asia Geopolitics

Asia Geopolitics follows the strategic weather around the Asia-Pacific with a steady eye on power, risk, and credibility. The show is conversational, but the subject matter is rarely light. Katie Putz and Ankit Panda move from current events into the harder questions behind them: what leaders are signaling, what allies believe, what adversaries may infer, and where public evidence runs out. Episodes often begin with a sharp news hook. North Korea’s party congress becomes a window into Kim Jong-un’s confidence, succession planning, military priorities, and ties with Russia and Iran. Allegations about Chinese nuclear testing become a broader conversation about intelligence, arms control, U.S. signaling, and how Beijing might read Washington’s own nuclear rhetoric. A Chinese military purge turns into careful palace-politics analysis, with the hosts separating reported claims from what can actually be known from outside the system. The show also looks beyond Asia when events elsewhere reshape the region’s assumptions. U.S. strikes on Iran, action against Venezuela, or Donald Trump’s threats toward other countries are treated as signals that Asian governments may use to judge American intent, discipline, and reliability. Alliance episodes have a similarly practical focus. South Korea’s Lee Jae-myung visiting Japan and the United States is not just itinerary analysis; it becomes a test of trilateral coordination, domestic constraints, and crisis management under an unpredictable U.S. president. Guests bring additional texture without turning the format into a panel show. Jim Sciutto adds a correspondent’s view of U.S.-Asia policy and allied doubts. Shannon Tiesi brings China expertise to the optics of summits, parades, and Beijing’s relationship with North Korea. The pacing is direct, sometimes wry, and comfortable with uncertainty. Asia Geopolitics works best for listeners who care less about instant takes and more about how decisions echo across capitals, military commands, and alliances.