#20 the u.a.e.’s quiet campaign for power in the middle east and africa
the uae wants you to see luxury towers, space missions, and humanitarian aid. but behind the scenes, it’s funding militias, backing warlords, and quietly helping reshape wars across the middle east and africa.
in this episode, we look at how the united arab emirates became one of the most influential and destabilizing actors in the region. from arming the rsf in sudan’s civil war and enabling genocide in darfur, to supporting separatists in yemen and building covert drone bases, the uae’s foreign policy isn’t about peace, it’s about control.
this is about power, ports, and profit. and the cost is being paid by people in sudan, yemen, libya, and beyond.
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25 Apr 2025
#19 why tunisia’s olive oil says “made in italy”
when you buy a bottle of “italian” or “spanish” olive oil, there’s a decent chance it came from tunisia.
the oil, that is, not the label.
in this episode, we trace the path of tunisia’s most important export from ancient olive groves to supermarkets worldwide and unpack how global trade rules, branding power, and consumer habits keep countries like tunisia invisible on the shelf.
it’s not just about olive oil. it’s about who gets to create value, and who gets to claim it.
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24 Apr 2025
#18 albania’s plan for a religious microstate inside tirana, explained
in september 2024, albania’s prime minister announced a plan to create a new sovereign state inside tirana, the capital of the country.
a spiritual microstate, run by the bektashi order, a sufi-inspired religious group. it sounded symbolic. maybe even strange. but it was real.
in this episode, we break down what the bektashi proposal actually is, where it came from, and why it’s raising questions. about power, corruption, religious identity, and what happens when politics uses faith to sell a bigger story.
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