Worlds Apart

Pride & power? Samir Saran, president of the Observer Research Foundation
As the age of American dominance draws to a close, developing a peer relationship with Washington has become both an enculturation challenge and an opportunity for a more peaceful and predictable world. What does it take to hold your own...
Jun 28, 2026 06:34
Worlds Apart is a fast-paced, in-depth discussion on the most pressing issues facing the world today.It strives to depart from the traditional Q&A form of interview in favor of a more emotive and engaging conversation. Host Oksana Boyko is not afraid to ask the hard questions that others avoid, with the aim of promoting intelligent public debate.

Pride & power? Samir Saran, president of the Observer Research Foundation
As the age of American dominance draws to a close, developing a peer relationship with Washington has become both an enculturation challenge and an opportunity for a more peaceful and predictable world. What does it take to hold your own...
Jun 28, 2026 06:34
Birthday blues? Aaron Good, political scientist & author of ‘American Exception: Empire and the Deep State’
Since its inception, the US has taken pride in its unique sense of national destiny and purpose, which supposedly set it apart from all other nations. As the US approaches its 250th anniversary, its exceptionalism is increasingly taking on more...
Jun 21, 2026 10:58
Weakened by strength? Anusar Farooqui, geopolitical analyst & author of the Policy Tensor Substack
Might and power have always been at the center of geopolitics, but over the last couple of decades and especially the last few months, the definition of what it means to be a powerful or weak nation has shifted dramatically. In the US-Israeli war...
Jun 14, 2026 06:47
Cursed bromance? Peter Kuznick, professor of history, American University
Four months into the third Gulf War, and the seemingly unbreakable bond between the US and Israel has shown some public and obscenity-laden cracks. As Netanyahu continues to thwart Trump’s ceasefire efforts, where is this relationship and...
Jun 7, 2026 08:29
Failing the states? Ali Rizk, security analyst
Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and partially, Syria – a failed state, followed by the implosion of radicalism and terrorism, has been the most typical, if not assured, outcome of Western interventions in the Middle East. As Washington yet again...
May 31, 2026 06:41
Boys about Beijing? Patrick Henningsen, Global affairs analyst
Just a week apart, but miles away in tone and substance. The visits to China by the American and Russian presidents have showcased not only the drastic difference in political culture but also the remarkable contrast in the notions of bilateral...
May 24, 2026 09:35
Strait defeat? Hamidreza Gholamzadeh, Director of DiploHouse
The US has exhausted its inventories to fuel proxy conflicts overseas, then launched another war in the Middle East that has already precariously depleted its weapons stockpiles, making US President Trump’s peace-making ambitions ruinous to...
May 17, 2026 07:14
Making sense of intel? Rick Spence, Professor Emeritus of History, University of Idaho
An old Soviet joke had it that the economy has to be economical, and, in the same vein, intelligence needs to be intelligent. The collapse of the Soviet system showed that it was short on both but, in retrospect, it may have been a worthy, albeit...
May 11, 2026 06:49
Road to Damascus? Ammar Kahf, Executive Director of the Omran Center for Strategic Studies
A year ago, after the fall of the Assad government, Syria seemed well poised for a new beginning. With Russia and Iran out, and Türkiye and Saudi Arabia squarely in, the path forward appeared clear and unobstructed — that is, until the...
May 3, 2026 06:33