Forty Meters Under Fordow

Forty Meters Under Fordow

From Geopolitical Cousins by Jacob Shapiro & Marko Papic

May 27, 2026 · 1h 32m · Season 1 · Episode 64

About this episode

Jacob and Marko discuss the Iran-US ceasefire negotiations, domestic political constraints, and various geopolitical issues including nationalism and the NBA playoffs.

Jacob and Marko dive straight into the Iran-US ceasefire negotiations (airstrikes are hitting Iranian ships and missile sites as I type) - dissecting domestic political constraints on both sides, the Strait of Hormuz's diminishing leverage window, and why the emerging deal is arguably a worse JCPOA. They pivot to Gen Z's eroding relationship with nationalism, Erdoğan's assault on Turkey's main opposition party, protests in Serbia AND OF COURSE close on the NBA playoffs. -- Timestamps: (00:00) - Welcome (01:03) - Cousins Reunite!! (01:58) - Iran Ceasefire Strikes Update (05:20) - Deal Dynamics And Domestic Politics (09:07) - Military Posture And Hormuz Leverage (31:52) - Israel Spoiler And Regional Fallout (34:08) - Ebola Outbreak Background (37:13) - Why Ebola Gets Ignored (38:21) - Deglobalization And Pandemic Risk (41:23) - Vaccines Versus Political Will (43:40) - Marco Responds And MAGA Critique (48:17) - Global Health Reality Check (49:07) - Ebola Lessons and Limits (51:06) - Why US Must Engage (55:22) - Serbia Trip and Protests (57:43) - Gen Z Standards Revolution (01:03:30) - No Plan After Protest (01:06:54) - Censorship and Shared Culture (01:08:39) - Metaverse Versus…

People in this episode

Hosts: Jacob Shapiro, Marko Papic

Topics covered

  • Iran-US relations
  • nationalism
  • political protests
  • Ebola outbreak
  • Gen Z
  • NBA

Keywords

  • Iran
  • US
  • ceasefire
  • nationalism
  • Ebola
  • Gen Z
  • NBA playoffs
  • Turkey
  • Serbia
  • politics

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: NBA playoffs

Places: Iran, US, Strait of Hormuz, Turkey, Serbia

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