In this episode, I discuss how India is dealing with the second-highest confirmed COVID cases in the world.  India is competing with China in its vaccine diplomacy and struggling to protect a sizable portion of its 1.4 billion population.  

RoozCast

Covid Vaccine and India

Could China succeed where other outsiders (British, Russian, and American) have lost – and without a costly and dangerous military occupation? Is the hope of profitable trade and investment enough to guarantee a power-sharing deal among Afghanistan's fighting factions?  Over the years, China's rulers have seen other major powers stuck in Afghanistan without an exit strategy. Those are mistakes no one in Beijing is keen to repeat.

What's China up to in Afghanistan?

The most ambitious global immunization drive in history is in action. Over the past three months, more than 250 million COVID shots have been administered in over 100 countries, and the vaccination rate is gradually increasing. At the current rate, around 6.3 million doses are being administered daily. It's a rare moment of good news after over a year of collective suffering, grief, despair, and anxiety. So where do things stand, and what's preventing the world from getting to herd immunity sooner?

Vaccine Rollout Around the World

It's not just about that vacation you've been dreaming of since the pandemic shut down travel. Many organizations, institutions, and employers could begin requiring proof of vaccination before they hire you — or even to let you in the office for an interview.  Are vaccine passports a good idea? People, governments, and businesses need to know who might set off a new COVID wave and who is safe. But are we moving toward a  New World where the holders of vaccine passports become an unjustly privileged class of people?

The Other Passport (COVID Passport)

Donal Trump continues to be a powerful political force. Even in defeat, he won 74 million votes for president last year, the second-highest total of any candidate in US history.  In this episode, I discuss the future of the GOP.  What does this mean for the party? The GOP has plunged into an all-out civil war that will rage for years to come.  

Donald Trump and the Future of the Republican Party

The US president's priorities may be COVID, economic recovery, climate change, and China, but the Middle East problems are still following him — and the US is deeply involved in the region, whether President Biden likes it or not. In this episode, I discuss Biden's priorities in the Middle East.

Joe Biden and the Middle East

Lots of news coming out of Russia these days... But just who is Alexei Navalny, and how important is the threat that he may pose to Vladimir Putin's power in Russia?  In this episode of RoozCast I discuss the story of Alexei Navalny in Today's Russia.

What's Happening in Russia?

What should Europe do with Washington and Beijing? Double down on strengthening traditional transatlantic relations in hopes of containing China's growing power to set new trade and technology rules, and to bolster support for "Western values" of human rights and individual liberty Engage both newly dysfunctional Washington and ever-more-assertive Beijing? Strengthen Europe's strategic independence from the US and China?  In this episode of RoozCast, I discuss Europe's big political decision.

The Future of Europe

Roozbeh Aliabadi is an advisor and commentator on geopolitical risk and geoeconomics, particularly the Middle East and Asia. He is an advisory partner in the global advisory practice at GGA, a boutique international consultancy practice based in New York City.

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