Shows / The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
Hey, it’s Marcel Dirsus. I’m a political scientist and this is The Next Best, my podcast. The world is complex, dangerous and confusing. To make sense of it all, I talk to authors, historians, diplomats and spies. Together, we’re going to learn about nuclear weapons, sanctions, targeted killings and much more. Let’s go. Have a question? Email at: thenextbestpodcast@gmail.com
Episodes
- The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
#38 Dimitar Bechev: Europe under Attack
Russia is testing Europe with drones and sabotage. China is undermining its industries. And the United States, Europe’s old safety net, is becoming a challenge…
- The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
#37 Florian Flade: Inside the Spy Scandal of the Century (Happening Now)
Germany’s former intelligence chief has been accused of treason. Here's the full story. Important: The investigation is ongoing. The allegations have not been…
- The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
#36 Hanna Notte: Isolating Russia? Impossible.
Russia was supposed to be isolated. But four years into the war in Ukraine, that hasn’t happened. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/DrMarcelDirsus Buy…
- The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
#35 Ben Macintyre: The Cold War Spy Who Stopped Nuclear War
What happens when a senior KGB officer walks into the British embassy in revolutionary Iran and offers to spy for MI6? Patreon…
- The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
#34 Anders Puck Nielsen: Putin is Running Out of Options
Is Vladimir Putin running out of options in Ukraine—and could desperation push Russia into war with NATO? Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/DrMarcelDirsus In…
- The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
#33 Samuël Kruizinga: "Easy Wars" Are a Fantasy.
There is no "magic button" in war. From naval blockades in the Strait of Hormuz to precision air strikes and economic sanctions, military planners constantly…
- The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
#32 Shaun Walker: Inside the Brutal Life of Russia's Elite Spies
How do elite Russian spies operate? How are they recruited and trained, and what makes the life of these "Illegals" so miserable? Support the podcast on…
- The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
#31 Casey Michel: American Oligarchy Is Worse Than You Think
What happens when billionaires buy democracy? In this episode of The Next Best, Marcel Dirsus speaks with author and investigative journalist Casey Michel…
- The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
#30 Frank Sauer: This is How Nuclear War Works
What would actually happen if nuclear war broke out?Nuclear weapons expert Frank Sauer explains, step by step, how a nuclear war could begin, how world leaders…
- The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
#29 Carter Malkasian: How the Taliban Won (and America Lost)
Why did the United States lose the war in Afghanistan? Why did the Taliban ultimately return to power? And what lessons should policymakers take from America's…
- The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
#28 Anna Fifield: How Kim Jong Un Stays in Power
How does Kim Jong Un stay in power? In this episode of The Next Best, Marcel Dirsus speaks with journalist Anna Fifield, former Washington Post Beijing bureau…
- The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
#27 Jade McGlynn: Ukraine's Drone Strikes, Putin's War and Russia's Fuel Crisis
How much do ordinary Russians really support the war in Ukraine? Can Ukraine's drone strikes change the course of the conflict? And what happens after Vladimir…
- The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
#26 Margaret MacMillan: Trump, Putin and the End of the Liberal World Order
Historian Margaret MacMillan explains why Trump's foreign policy is unprecedented, what Putin wants, and whether the liberal international order is coming to…
- The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
#25 Liana Fix: Germany is Rearming. Should Europe be Worried?
Germany is spending more on defence than at any point in recent history — and some analysts believe it could soon become Europe’s dominant military power.But…
- The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
#24: Yeganeh Torbati & Bozorgmehr Sharafedin: How the Iranian Regime Really Works
What keeps Iran’s regime in power—and why has it survived repeated crises, protests, and international pressure? In this episode of The Next Best, Marcel…
- The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
#23 Anders Wivel: How Small States Survive in a World of Giants
Most countries are not superpowers. They’re not regional hegemons. They’re small states trying to survive in a world dominated by giants.In this episode, I…
- The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
#22 Thomas Juneau: How the Houthis Could Crash the Global Economy
The Houthis aren't Iran's puppet. That's what makes them so dangerous. They can shut down two of the world's most critical chokepoints simultaneously — and…
- The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
#21 Sergey Radchenko: How Russia Weaponized Energy (Even Before Putin)
Everyone thinks Putin perfected the energy weapon. But Russia has been using oil and gas as a political bludgeon for over 70 years — and it didn't start with…
- The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
#20 Julia Ebner: Inside the Minds of Extremists
In this live episode recorded in Berlin, Marcel Dirsus sits down with researcher and author Julia Ebner to explore the psychology of extremism, conspiracy…
- The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
#19 Eyck Freymann: China Doesn't Need to Invade Taiwan. It Can Just Cut it Off
China doesn't need to invade Taiwan to win.A blockade could bring the global economy to its knees — without firing a single shot. In this episode of The Next…
- The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
#18 James Ker-Lindsay: The Sovereign State is a Recent Invention. Russia is Rewriting the Rules
Russia didn't just invade Ukraine. It's trying to break the rules of the international system.In this episode, I sit down with James Ker-Lindsay — one of the…
- The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
#17 Franz-Stefan Gady: Is Russia Actually Winning? Frontline Reality
Russia says it's winning. The front line tells a different story. Military analyst Franz-Stefan Gady just returned from Ukraine — here's what he actually saw…
- The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
#16 Rory Truex: Xi Jinping is the Dictator the West Doesn’t Get
Xi Jinping may be the most powerful man in the world. But that power may also be a trap he can't escape.In this episode of The Next Best, Marcel Dirsus sits…
- The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
#15 Trump Killed NATO
NATO isn't just weakening. It's basically dead — and that's not a headline. It's an analysis.In this episode, I break down exactly what killed the alliance…
- The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
#14 G. Elliott Morris: Trump Is the Most Unpopular President Ever
Trump's approval rating tells a story his supporters don't want to hear — and the data backs it up. Pollster and journalist G. Elliott Morris joins me to break…
- The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
#13 Seva Gunitsky: Putin Got His Multipolar World. Now He'll Regret It
Putin spent two decades demanding a multipolar world. Now he's getting one — and it might destroy Russia.In this episode of The Next Best, I speak with Seva…
- The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
#12 Elizabeth N. Saunders: How Trump Broke 70 Years of American Foreign Policy
Is Congress irrelevant in U.S. foreign policy? Is bipartisanship a myth? And what happens when the biggest threat to a NATO ally might be the United States…
- The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
#11 Patrick McGee: How China Captured Apple
Apple doesn’t just manufacture in China. It helped build the system that now holds it hostage. In this episode of The Next Best, I speak with Financial Times…
- The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
#10 Gavin Wilde: Why We Are Wrong About Hybrid Warfare
How powerful is propaganda—really? In this episode of The Next Best, Marcel Dirsus speaks with Gavin Wilde, a former White House official and U.S. intelligence…
- The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
#9 Max Bergmann: How Europe Can Defend Itself Without America
Can Europe defend itself without the United States? The uncomfortable reality is that Europe’s security architecture is completely dependent on Washington—and…
- The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
#8 Tim Weiner: Fear, Torture & The CIA's Strategic Failure After 9/11
Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Tim Weiner joins Marcel Dirsus to discuss his book, The Mission: The CIA in the 21st Century. This episode is a deep dive…
- The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
#7 Oliver Moody: Russia vs NATO - The Baltic is the Frontline
The Baltic region is Europe's most dangerous geopolitical flashpoint. From the Suwałki Gap to the stationing of German combat troops in Lithuania, we explore…
- The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
#6 Edward Fishman: How the US Weaponized the Global Economy
How the U.S. turned banks, the dollar, and tech supply chains into a weapon that isolates entire countries without firing a shot. Edward Fishman is the author…
- The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
#5 Michael Kimmage: This Happens if Russia Wins
We're now multiple years into Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and an end to the fighting isn't in sight. There are now negotiations, but where could…
- The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
#4 Kori Schake: Will the Military Stop Trump? A Warning from History
My guest this week is Kori Schake. Kori has an incredibly impressive CV. She is currently the Director of Foreign and Defense Policy at the American Enterprise…
- The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
#3 John Lechner: How Putin's Mercenaries Operate
Earlier this year, I read a book called Death is Our Business and this week I spoke to the author John Lechner. John is an interesting man. He used to work in…
- The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
#2 Charles Hecker: How Western Business Failed
Hey, it's Marcel Dirsus and this is The Next Best. I spoke to Charles Hecker this week. Charles has spent 40 years traveling and working in the Soviet Union…
- The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus
#1 Steve Coll: Why America Invaded Iraq
My guest this week is Steve Coll. Steve is a senior editor at The Economist and he has written nine books. He has won the Pulitzer Prize not once, but twice…