On June 17, 1971, President Nixon officially declared the "war on drugs". Now, 55 years removed, 10 presidents later, and with over $1T spent, that war is still ongoing, and demand continues to surge in line with trafficking, crime, and violence. What do we need to understand about the nature of the "war on drugs" and the organizations involved in narco- and human trafficking? Why is it important to view "cartels" as complex adaptive systems instead of cartels? What is the blindspot in the U.S. "kingpin" strategy? How is the trafficking landscape changing, and how is technology re-shaping the approach on both sides? What are we missing in the overall analysis, and how can we separate fact from fiction? Our guest is Dr. Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera, Professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University, a leading expert on cartels and transnational crime, and the author of Los Zetas Inc.: Criminal Corporations, Energy, and Civil War in Mexico and (forthcoming) Cartels Inc: A "New Generation" of Criminal Networks.

In the early morning hours of January 3rd, 2026, a U.S. military operation in Caracas, Venezuela, ended with the capture of Nicolás Maduro. Now, one month later, we face many questions. What is really happening in Venezuela right now, and what does the future hold? What is the U.S. endgame and what are the pitfalls? What do we need to understand about the situation on the ground in terms of the political and security landscape? What internal dynamics should we keep in mind? What is the legacy of Hugo Chávez and chavismo, and how will that clash with the Trump administration's "Donroe" (Monroe) Doctrine? Our guest is Dr. Pablo Ribeiro Uchoa from the UCL Institute of the Americas – a Venezuela expert with a PhD in political science who has studied Chávez's Bolivarian revolution, examining themes of nationalism, militarism/militarization, the military ethos, and the military's role and relationship with broader society.

Welcome to part 2 of the "Drone Wars" episode — a deeper dive into drones and the future of warfare. In the Ukraine-Russia War, we are witnessing the real-time and devastating impact of drones. We are also witnessing considerable innovation and tactical adaptation. So, how are drones changing the battlespace, and how will they impact the future of warfare beyond the conflict? How are drones reshaping military strategy, tactics, and operations? What is the significance of Operation Spiderweb, and how are both sides innovating in the sky and underwater? What is happening on the ground in Ukraine right now, and what critical factors do we need to know? We spoke to Dr. Marina Miron, a military expert at King's College, to gain deeper insights and technical analysis to understand the broader implications for the conflict, Europe, NATO, and the world — part 2 of 2.