Podcast
The Dialectic: A Podcast by Fair Observer
Hosted by Fair Observer · EN
The Dialectic is the flagship podcast of Fair Observer, an independent nonprofit that publishes nearly 3,000 authors from over 90 countries, including former prime ministers, retired diplomats, professors, noted authors and bright young minds from different fields.
Hosts Atul Singh, the editor-in-chief of Fair Observer, and Glenn Carle, a senior partner at the geopolitical risk advisory firm FOI, dive into some of the most important issues of our times. Atul is a Rajput who grew up in India and debated for Oxford while Glenn is a White Anglo-Saxon Protestant (WASP) who grew up in Boston and played ice hockey for Harvard. Atul comes from the Gaharwar (or Gahadavala) clan while Glenn’s ancestors arrived in Plymouth in 1620 on the Mayflower.
Atul served as an officer doing counter-insurgency in India’s volatile border regions (Nagaland and Kashmir) and as a lawyer in the City of London. As editor-in-chief, he predicted Brexit, Donald Trump’s two election victories and the global rise of the far right. Glenn served the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in both strategic and operational roles. He also negotiated trade deals for the US, served in the White House and authored The Interrogator, a book about how he opposed torture as a CIA officer during the global war on terror.
The Rajput and the WASP are caricatures of stereotypes, and both are preparing to be mummies in the British Museum. These quirky characters examine issues through historical, economic and cultural lenses. Both of them have a passion for geopolitics and for making sense of the world.
Atul and Glenn seek to both inform and entertain. Let us know what you want them to cover. Join our community, and share this podcast with friends and family!
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11episodes
Episodes
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Japan — The Aging Land of the Rising Sun | The Dialectic
3w ago01:27:56Tap to summarizeIn this episode of The Dialectic, Fair Observer’s Founder, CEO and Editor-in-Chief Atul Singh and FOI Senior Partner Glenn Carle, a retired CIA officer who now advises companies, governments and organizations on geopolitical risk, examine Japan’s transformation from the post-World War II “economic miracle” into an aging, heavily indebted, yet increasingly assertive geopolitical power. The conversation traces Japan’s double-digit growth in the 1950s to 1970s followed by the collapse of the 1980s asset bubble in 1990–92, which led to a lengthy period of economic stagnation that has come to be known as the “Lost Decades.” Atul and Glenn go on to examine the political and social consequences of these shifts: the rise of nationalist conservatism under figures such as Shinzo Abe and Sanae Takaichi, the impact of Japan’s rapidly aging population and collapsing fertility rates, and the increasing need along with a vigorous debate over immigration. They also discuss Japan’s technological response to its challenges such as developments in robotics. In addition, Atul and Glenn examine how Japan is responding to a weakening Pax Americana, rising power of China and growing uncertainty over long-term American commitments in Asia. The duo further examine Tokyo’s efforts to strengthen coalitions like the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) that includes the US, Australia, India and Japan. They highlight economic moves to counterbalance China through initiatives like the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) as well. In a nutshell, Atul and Glenn examine Japan’s changing foreign and defense policy in a rapidly changing world. Naturally, they speak about Japan’s military transformation decades after World War II. Japan has increased defense spending, is building new aircraft carriers, and acquiring F-35 fighter jets and Tomahawk missiles. Tokyo is also deploying missiles near Taiwan and shifting from a passive defense policy to a more assertive one that involves increased power projection. Atul and Glenn conclude by addressing the question whether Japan can become the stabilizing pillar of a new Asian order without repeating the militarism of its past. They take an optimistic view and are confident that Japan will become more nationalistic for sure but a return to the 1930s style militarism is impossible. 00:00 Glenn’s Taxi Ride in Tokyo 09:00 Japan’s Debt Burden 17:00 The Real Estate Bubble 23:00 Japan’s Demography 33:00 Nationalist-Right & Politics in Japan 46:00 Japan’s Aging Population 1:00:00 China-Japan Tensions 1:10:00 Japan’s Military Transformation 1:16:00 The Way Forward
Transcribe →The China-Taiwan Crisis Explained: History, Xi Jinping and US Deterrence | The Dialectic
Feb 1401:26:43Tap to summarizeIn this episode of The Dialectic, Editor-in-Chief Atul Singh and FOI Senior Partner Glenn Carle, a retired CIA officer who now advises companies, governments and organizations on geopolitical risk, turn their dialectic eastward to examine analyze the sharp escalation in China–Taiwan tensions following the People’s Liberation Army’s large-scale “Justice Mission 2025” exercise. The drills, which encircled Taiwan after a record US arms sale, form part of a broader pattern of air, naval and cyber pressure that has intensified since Xi Jinping consolidated power in 2012. The hosts examine how gray zone tactics and calibrated military displays are steadily shifting the status quo in the Taiwan Strait. The discussion then turns to the deeper political and historical roots of the crisis. They dive deep into the Chinese Civil War of the previous century, the Kuomintang’s retreat to Taiwan in 1949 and Taiwan’s evolution from one-party rule to a vibrant democracy. They also explain the differences between the Kuomintang and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). The DPP is a left-leaning pro-independence party that struggled against the authoritarian rule of the Kuomintang in the past. Now, the DPP is the ruling party and political divisions between the two parties still run deep. The hosts also explore how nationalism, regime legitimacy and the “One China” doctrine remain central pillars of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), especially as economic growth slows and demographic pressures mount. They also speak about how the CCP has become more aggressive over the last few years, making not only Taiwan but also Japan more nervous. From there, the conversation moves to sovereignty and great power politics. Atul and Glenn make sense of US foreign policy, ranging from the Taiwan Relations Act and strategic ambiguity to recent signals of greater strategic clarity, placing the standoff within the framework of the Thucydides Trap. Finally, they outline the choices Chinese President Xi Jinping, Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te and US President Donald Trump face as China’s power peaks. With Taiwan’s domination of high-end semiconductor production and economic prowess, the episode assesses the profound economic and geopolitical consequences of any miscalculation in the Taiwan Strait. 00:00 Justice Mission 2025 10:00 Wolf Warrior Diplomacy 15:00 Salami Slicing 21:00 Nationalists & Communists 32:00 The Democratic Progressive Party 44:00 The Chinese Communist Party 50:00 The Taiwan Strait 55:00 America’s Strategic Posture 1:05:00 China-Taiwan Tensions 1:15:00 What if China Invades Taiwan?
Transcribe →Narendra Modi's Vegetarian Stalinism Has Ruined the Indian Economy | The Dialectic
Jan 1801:29:53Tap to summarizeIn this episode of The Dialectic, Editor-in-Chief Atul Singh and FOI Senior Partner Glenn Carle, a retired CIA officer, deliver a rigorous analysis of the Indian economy under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Their conversation explores how centralization of power, excessive bureaucratization and competitive populism are hollowing out growth, entrepreneurship, private investment, savings, public finances and institutional credibility in India. The authors begin by defining “Vegetarian Stalinism,” which is a metaphor for a system where anyone opposing the Modi government faces repression, not in the form of being packed off to a Siberian gulag, but oppression through regulators, taxmen and even the police. This can lead to years of legal limbo, much like waiting for Godot. Vegetarian Stalinism avoids the violence of the Soviet Union but tortures citizens through Kafkaesque processes that suck up time, money and energy. Like the communist Soviet state, the Indian state controls the commanding heights of the economy. Instead of nationalization of all private enterprise, an unholy nexus of babus (Indian term for bureaucrats), big business and Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dominates the Indian economy. This rent-seeking and corrupt system favors oligopolies and monopolies that are unchallenged by competition, leading to consumers paying too much for too little. While Pakistan is a garrison state, a term coined by the scholar Ishtiaq Ahmed, India is a babu state. Babus still rule India in an arbitrary, extortionate and draconian way. The roots of this bureaucratic oppression lie in the past. India’s British imperial masters ruled through the Indian Civil Service (ICS), elite bureaucrats who came from Oxford and Cambridge, to extract revenue from India, the jewel in the crown. Once India became independent in 1947, the ICS was renamed as the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and acquired even greater powers under the license-permit-quota raj — a system where you need an insane amount of bureaucratic approvals for any economic activity. This crazy license-permit-quota raj only receded when the Gulf War and the weakness of the Soviet Union in 1990–91 led to a balance-of-payments crisis and the 1991 liberalization of the Indian economy. Modi has turned the clock back. Like Indira Gandhi, Modi has centralized all power in the BJP and in the country. Hence, he relies on babus to enforce his writ. They have brought in protectionism, often through the backdoor and a compliance raj that terrifies anyone doing business. In India, the IAS occupies the commanding heights of not only the state but also the economy. As during the pre-1991 times, Indians have political freedom but no economic freedom. To be fair to Modi, he has done a good job on infrastructure, digital payments and delivering micro welfare benefits directly to the people. The provision of women’s bank accounts, electricity, sanitation and cooking fuel has improved the lives of millions. No less than 810 million Indians get five kilograms of foodgrains for free every month. However, the economy is facing a crisis. India had a massive black economy that many estimate might have been 60% of the GDP. Modi’s shock therapy of demonetization and introduction of a nationwide goods and sales tax in the middle of a financial year destroyed millions of small and medium enterprises. There are hardly any jobs, especially for the youth. A dumbbell economy that gives subsidies to big business and freebies to the poor is causing great strain on the middle class. Note that subsidies have not led to increased manufacturing. Modi’s policies have led to deindustrialization instead with manufacturing falling from 17% to 13% during his 10+ years in power. Tax terrorism has become the name of the game for Modi’s babu state, where citizens are threatened with imprisonment to make payments and then languish in court for years to seek redressal. The Indian system is not Kafkaesque; it is Kafka. The Modi government’s oppressive actions are forcing Indians to vote with their feet and leave the country. An exodus of talent and capital is underway to escape what an astute business executive calls “rupeeization of incomes and dollarization of expenses.” Three scenarios emerge from this: a 1991-style crisis forces India to reform, India meanders along in mediocrity or the country disintegrates in the case of a major shock. The future of the country depends on the decisions of its policymakers. 00:00 What is Stalinism? 09:00 Modi’s Vegetarian Stalinism 14:30 Infrastructure & Micro Welfare 18:00 Farce Economic Growth 26:40 Dance With Socialism 38:00 Bureaucracy & Red Tape 53:00 Modi’s Sanatan Socialism 1:00:00 India’s Political Populism 1:05:00 Modi’s Tax Terrorism 1:13:00 Evils of India’s Past 1:20:00 India’s Future
Transcribe →France: The Eternal Crisis Strikes Again. What Now? The Dialectic
Dec 701:23:27Tap to summarizeIn this episode of The Dialectic, Fair Observer’s Founder, CEO & Editor-in-Chief Atul Singh and FOI Senior Partner Glenn Carle, a retired CIA officer who now advises companies, governments and institutions on geopolitical risk, examine France’s deepening crisis and ask whether the Fifth Republic can survive it. The discussion opens with the immediate breakdown: five prime ministers in two years, Sébastien Lecornu’s 26-day stint, resignation and reappointment, a parliament unable to pass a budget for 2026 and a 6% budget deficit that pushed France into the EU’s most worrying fiscal category. Importantly, Moody’s cut France’s outlook to negative as bond markets grow wary. Atul and Glenn trace the crisis to long running structural patterns. They map the historical arc from King Louis XIV and his finance minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert to Charles de Gaulle and the birth of the Fifth Republic, showing how a tradition of centralised state power pushes France into recurring crises. With the government controlling nearly 60% of the GDP, dirigisme — the French version of a centrally directed economy, which is quite like socialism — struggles to create a modern, dynamic economy. To add salt to injury, French socialism is inefficient and its society is elitist. The Swedish government spends less than its French counterpart and achieves better outcomes. Unlike Sweden, France’s elite educational institutions are dominated by students from the country’s upper middle classes with very few from the working classes making it to the top. Unfortunately, France spends heavily on social services but struggles with social mobility, persistent unemployment and a talent drain. Immigrants now account for roughly 17% of the population, and rapid urban ghettoization has produced social tension, Islamic radicalization and helped the rise of the far right. France’s domestic troubles come at a time of great shifts in the international order. A resurgent Russia, a more assertive China and an unpredictable America limit France’s room for strategic autonomy. French domestic woes weaken Europe, which is looking for leadership at a time of profound geopolitical shifts. The political paralysis in Paris has also hobbled the Franco-German axis, which has been the bedrock of the EU. The episode balances realistic pessimism with cautious optimism. For all its woes, France retains nuclear deterrence, advanced defense industries, a vibrant luxury sector and deep human capital. Atul and Glenn outline policy pathways for reform and sketch scenarios in which France could experience a renaissance. Listen to this episode of The Dialectic for a clear, historically informed assessment of France at a pivotal moment.
Transcribe →Can Germany Outgrow Its Postwar American Model? The Dialectic
Nov 201:30:07Tap to summarizeIn this episode of The Dialectic, Editor-in-Chief Atul Singh and FOI Senior Partner Glenn Carle, a retired CIA officer who now advises companies, governments and organizations on geopolitical risk, turn their attention to Germany and ask a fundamental question: What has gone wrong with the engine of Europe? The conversation begins with Nazi Germany’s total defeat in 1945 and the country’s partition into East and West Germany. Under the American security umbrella, West Germany rebuilt itself through an export-led economic model that came to define postwar Europe. The fall of the Berlin Wall and reunification of the two Germanies brought both triumph and strain. Atul and Glenn explore how Germany’s success story has stalled. The German economy is now struggling, its population is shrinking, its workforce is aging, and its dependence on Chinese markets and Russian energy has become a strategic weakness. German bureaucracy has become infamous, and excessive regulation is inhibiting economic activity. The country’s famed automobile industry is losing ground to Chinese electric vehicles, German innovation capacity has waned and the country is missing in the fast-growing high-tech sectors of the global economy. Meanwhile, rising immigration has caused social division and political polarization. Support for the far-right party, Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), is surging and it is now beating traditional parties in opinion polls. Clearly, Germany is in crisis. Atul and Glenn place Germany’s crisis within a wider European story. They consider how demographic decline, economic fatigue and strategic hesitation are eroding Europe’s global influence. Germany is the EU’s economic engine. It is the heart of Europe that looks both west and east. This episode of The Dialectic asks whether Germany can renew itself in an age of global competition or whether its decline mirrors the broader malaise of Europe itself. Read About Vladimir Putin's Long Game - https://www.fairobserver.com/politics/making-sense-of-vladimir-putins-long-game/ Read About Germany's Economy - https://www.fairobserver.com/world-news/is-the-german-economy-now-destined-to-decline/
Transcribe →Can Germany and France Make Europe Great Again? The Dialectic
Oct 1401:32:14Tap to summarizeIn this episode of The Dialectic, Editor-in-Chief Atul Singh and retired CIA officer and Senior Partner at FOI Glenn Carle explore a provocative question: Can Germany and France make Europe great again? The discussion traces Europe’s transformation from the fall of Constantinople in 1453 through the Renaissance, the Reformation and the Enlightenment to emerging as the driving civilizational force in the world. Europe gave birth to modern science, capitalism and democracy, allowing this tiny continent to dominate the world for nearly 500 years. The two geopolitical analysts go on to examine the collapse of European dominance because of the two world wars, decolonization and the rise of American hegemony. They also look at Europe’s postwar recovery and the formation of the EU thanks to Franco-German cooperation and attempts to form a supranational entity in the post-1991 world after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the rise of China. Today, Europe faces new tests: demographic decline, mass immigration, economic stagnation and political fragmentation. The hosts discuss whether France’s centralizing vision and Germany’s federal model can ever align, and whether the EU can act as a coherent global power in an era shaped by the US, China and Russia. Combining history, geopolitics and philosophical inquiry, this episode of The Dialectic also examines whether Europe’s forthcoming story is one of yet another revival or irreversible decline.
Transcribe →Project 2025 and Donald Trump's Dangerous Dismantling of the US Federal Government | The Dialectic
Sep 601:34:07Tap to summarizeIn this episode of The Dialectic, Fair Observer Editor-in-Chief Atul Singh and Senior FOI Partner Glenn Carle (a reputed retired CIA officer) dissect US President Donald Trump’s dismantling of the federal government and its far-reaching implications. They examine Trump’s removal of key officials, including the governor of the Federal Reserve (Fed) Lisa Cook, the director of Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). They note that the Trump White House is gutting federal agencies such as the Fed, the CDC, the IRS, the State Department, the CIA, USAID and NASA. Glenn traces Trump’s actions to decades of conservative thought. Ronald Reagan’s revolution and think tanks like the Heritage Foundation have added rocket fuel to American conservativism. Both Atul and Glenn focus on the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, a radical blueprint calling for a 50% cut in the federal workforce and sweeping presidential powers. Glenn argues that the roots of the Trumpian revolution lie in the ideas of Carl Schmitt who was Hitler’s legal theorist. His doctrine of the unitary executive undermines checks and balances in favor of near-absolute authority of the executive, fuelling the fervor of Trumpists. Atul and Glenn warn of a future where liberal democracy erodes into a conservative autocracy. They point out that many immigrants support Trump because of cultural conservatism and disdain for bureaucracy. Listen to this episode to make sense of our volatile, complex, ambiguous and complex (VUCA) world)!
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How Iran Became a Great Power and Why It Hates America and Israel
Jul 2901:20:52Tap to summarizeIn this episode of The Dialectic, Fair Observer’s Founder, CEO and Editor-in-Chief Atul Singh and retired CIA officer and FOI Senior Partner Glenn Carle talk about the history of the Iranian empire, the emergence of modern Islamic Iran under the Safavids, the instability that followed, the British domination of this proud nation and the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Atul and Glenn examine the ideological, religious and geopolitical imperatives driving Iran. They discuss the 1953 coup and the role of MI6 and CIA, as well as the emergence of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979. They discuss the Iran-Iraq War that followed, the Shia-Sunni divide and more. They end the podcast examining current developments such as the Israel-Iran military clashes and the US bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities as well as drawing up scenarios of what comes next.
Transcribe →Making Sense of the Latest India–Pakistan Tensions
Jul 1600:53:33Tap to summarizeIn this episode of The Dialectic, Fair Observer’s Founder, CEO and Editor-in-Chief Atul Singh and retired CIA Officer Glenn Carle dive into the latest terrorist attack in Kashmir and the resulting escalation between India and Pakistan. They explore the deep historical roots of the conflict, the strategic calculus of both nations, and the dangerous interplay between religion, nationalism, and domestic politics. With terrorism once again destabilizing the region, they ask: Can cooler heads prevail, or is a larger conflict looming?
Transcribe →Why Donald Trump Targets Harvard, and Why That Matters
Jul 1600:51:00Tap to summarizeIn this episode of The Dialectic, Fair Observer’s Founder, CEO and Editor-in-Chief Atul Singh and retired CIA Officer Glenn Carle dive into why US President Donald Trump is targeting Harvard and what that reveals about deeper ideological rifts in America. From culture wars to claims of antisemitism, the rise of woke culture to the dangerous logic behind the “unitary executive,” the conversation tackles the forces threatening American democracy. Harvard becomes a stand-in for the liberal elite, globalization and the institutions conservatives believe have left them behind. With humor, historical insight and first-hand experience, the hosts explore how today’s political battles echo those of revolutionary France — and what’s at stake if the elite temples of thought fall.
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