Stratfor Daily Podcast

NATO allocates two warships to defend vessels bringing food relief, as the costs of combating Somalian piracy mount. [more]

Colin Chapman discusses recession with a leading airline boss and a central banker. Both confirm that white-collar managers are likely to be the biggest victims of a worsening global economy. [more]

Recent statements from Israel’s military intelligence chief hint that at least a slight warming in Israeli-Iranian relations may be possible, against a backdrop of transition in U.S., Israeli and Iranian politics. [more]

Weekend protests in Reykjavik, Iceland, point up largely unspoken fears about how the financial crisis might impact political and social stability in Europe. Analyst Marko Papic discusses the question with Marla Dial. [more]

Iraq's parliament will this week be asked to back a plan which restricts U.S. authority next year and leads to full troop withdrawal in 2011. Will an Afghanistan deal be next? [more]

G20 leaders arrive in Washington for a meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush to discuss the financial and economic crisis. Though there will be much talk about concerted action, leaders will have difficulty singing from the same hymn sheet, let alone agreeing actions. [more]

As Germany moves into official recession, with growth in the last quarter down half of one percent, the International Energy Agency has again cut its oil demand forecasts. This means that investment in alternatives to oil is slowing. [more]

Despite reservations from Poland and Lithuania, the EU is readying to resume a dialogue with Moscow. This will make for an interesting NATO summit next month, with moves by Russian President Dmitri Medvedev pushing Europe's heavyweights to look both ways. [more]

An overture to Washington brings controversy in Tehran. Meanwhile, economists take aim at Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, questions his domestic and foreign policy choices. [more]

As President-elect Barack Obama heads for the White House to begin the transitional period with President George W. Bush, rivalries emerge for the upcoming G20 meeting, with the Chinese wanting more say and the Europeans demanding more regulation. [more]

The election of Barack Obama has touched off wild celebrations in parts of Africa, which feels a special kinship with the incoming U.S. president. But hope is hard to come by in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where conflict is the status quo. Marla Dial takes a look at the latest violence and potential break points. [more]

As attention turns to the presidential transition in the United States, challenges are queuing up for Barack Obama’s attention. Today, a look at Russian President Dmitri Medvedev’s State of the State address and the latest development in Mexico’s drug cartel wars. [more]

With China coming to a trade deal with Taiwan, Russia menacing Ukraine and Afghanistan becoming a more urgent a priority, the new U.S. president will need to show all the skills of negotiation and coolness he displayed in the campaign. [more]

A breakaway group led by South Africa's former defense minister brings real opposition to the country for the first time since the end of apartheid. [more]

The presidential campaign in the United States, now near its end, has been a contest fought in the middle of not one but four crises. Americans now need to decide between John McCain and Barack Obama -- and a tie would be of real concern. Colin Chapman says a period of uncertainty about the American presidency is not what the world needs now. But there is also a danger of raising false expectations. [more]

The global downturn means more countries from Africa and Latin America — as well as Europe — will join the queue for support from the International Monetary Fund, just as world leaders gather to reshape its future. [more]

Libya’s mercurial leader is making his first trip to Moscow since the Cold War. Once upon a time, the West’s intelligence agencies would have scrambled - but now Washington seems more interested in the long-term sustainability of the nuclear deterrent. But, reports Colin Chapman, Moammar Gadhafi and Vladimir Putin could spell trouble for Europe’s gas supplies. [more]

Optimists will say the medicine of the $700 billion bailout in the United States and assorted other remedies applied in other parts of the world have started to work. Pessimists say there is still a lot of bad news to come. Both are likely true, though recession in Europe is likely to be longer and the fallout more painful than in the United States. As Stratfor reports today, it’s about restoring consumer confidence — encouraging Americans to spend again. [more]

How will financial turmoil in Russia and the emergence of IMF involvement in neighboring states like Ukraine and Belarus affect the battle for the FSU? Stratfor analyst Marko Papic and Marla Dial discuss. [more]

The United States has angered Damascus by mounting a sortie across the Iraqi-Syrian border, killing at least half a dozen Syrians in the process. The leader of Israel’s ruling party dropped efforts to form a government and called for an early general election. Iraq’s foreign minister canceled a booked visit to Australia, citing a crisis in the talks over US troops, and Pakistan surprised those who’d suggested it was soft on the Taliban by recapturing a key strategic town. This series of events have confused diplomats and policymakers. [more]

Tokyo has a lot riding on falling oil prices, which Stratfor forecasts will continue to fall, despite OPEC’s decision to cut production by 5 percent. Lower prices have helped the Japanese maintain a trade surplus, but, reports Colin Chapman, that is now at risk. [more]

Downturns and other problems in countries some thought would be immune from the financial shocks show that the idea of a decoupled world is a myth, says Colin Chapman. [more]

The Indians are searching the moon for valuable metals. With the Chinese also planning further moon adventures, the United States is on its guard, and determined to maintain its lunar lead. [more]

Economic concerns new and old will compound worries about Mexico’s drug cartel violence and border security in the United States. Stratfor’s Karen Hooper and Fred Burton discuss the situation from different analytical perspectives with Marla Dial. [more]

The global economy continues to deteriorate, Israel will continue to fulminate against Iran, and U.S. President George W. Bush has called an emergency summit after the election to discuss the financial crisis. But the world is on hold until the election of the next U.S. president — likely Barack Obama — and his installation next year. [more]