Kontrarian Korner #98 - E.M. Burlingame

Kontrarian Korner #98 - E.M. Burlingame

From Kontrarian Korner by Ben Kelleran

April 16, 2026 · 59 min

About this episode

E.M. Burlingame discusses geopolitical chaos, financial systems, and the future challenges facing the US and Europe.

Yesterday I had E.M. Burlingame on the podcast to get his perspective on what is going on in the Middle East. We talked about why he thinks there is a method to the madness in Iran, why the level of the S&P is a matter of national security, and the other chaos nodes around the world. We also covered the long term future for the US and the problems that we need to address with the economy, the population, and the political system. You can find EM on Substack and on Twitter . Podcast Summary * The method to the madness in the Middle East and why Trump is injecting chaos into the geopolitical chessboard. * How the financial system is built on algorithms that factor in centuries of risk modeling, and the controlled volatility creation we are seeing. * Why the S&P being elevated (and rising) is a matter of national security. * The problems facing Europe as far as the production of commodities and energy, and the problems they have as far as immigration. * What the US has to do to rewire the financial system and flush out the corruption and fraud, and why it starts at the local level. * Why we need to stop using GDP as a measure of success, and why 100 million people need to be…

People in this episode

Host: Ben Kelleran

Guest: E.M. Burlingame

Topics covered

  • Middle East geopolitics
  • financial system
  • national security
  • US economy
  • immigration issues
  • corruption
  • gender relations

Keywords

  • geopolitics
  • financial system
  • national security
  • S&P
  • immigration
  • corruption
  • economic system

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Iran, US, Europe, Middle East, S&P

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