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The Second Cold War Observatory
Welcome to The Second Cold War Observatory, where we explore the histories and grounded realities of geopolitical rivalry from the Cold War to the present. We host conversations with academics, policymakers, and activists about how competition affects places, people, and politics around the world to foster more nuanced and open debate on contemporary rivalry. We cover diverse themes from the environment to digital connectivity and finance. Our guests present in-depth research from the institutions and places that become flashpoints of great power rivalry.
This podcast is produced by Jessica DiCarlo and Seth Schindler through The Second Cold War Observatory, a collective of scholars committed to advancing historically and contextually situated understandings of contemporary great power rivalry.
January 6, 2026
Extraction
Lithium, a crucial input in the batteries powering electric vehicles, has the potential to save the world from climate change. But even green solution…
December 24, 2025
Implementing a Low-Carbon Future
This episode explores what China’s subnational climate experiments tell us about the possibilities and limits of climate leadership in an era of inten…
August 28, 2025
The end of aid? US, China, and the future of development
In early 2025, headlines announced that the Trump administration would move to dramatically slash USAID—the United States’ flagship development agency…
July 9, 2025
Seeing China's Belt and Road
What becomes visible when you shift the lens away from Beijing to how China’s Belt and Road projects unfold on the ground? Seeing China’s Belt and Roa…
June 20, 2025
Judicial Territory
In this episode, we sit down with Shaina Potts, author of Judicial Territory: Law, Capital, and the Expansion of American Empire (Duke University Pres…
May 4, 2025
Catching the China-Europe Express
In this episode, we focus on the often-overlooked geographies of Eurasian connectivity with Dr. Wojciech Kębłowski, whose research brings attention to…
March 10, 2025
Cotton, Central Asia and the New Great Game
On this episode, rural sociologist Dr. Irna Hofman explores how Tajikistan’s cotton fields illuminate shifting power dynamics in Central Asia, histori…
November 7, 2024
Why Can’t the US Compete with China in Infrastructure?
In this episode, Dr. Shahar Hameiri and Dr. Lee Jones discuss the political economy and financing behind global infrastructure development, with a foc…
October 23, 2024
India Rising: Navigating the Second Cold War in South Asia from Nepal to the Maldives
What is the role of India in the Second Cold War (SCW) in South Asia? How do local histories, internal politics, and subnational dynamics shape relati…
June 28, 2024
Industrial Policy and Energy Transition amidst Geoeconomic Restructuring
This episode features scholars who research East European countries situated on geopolitical border zones and characterized by long-term external econ…
March 2, 2024
US-Soviet Scientific Cooperation & Implications for Environmental Politics Today with Dr. Vladimir Jankovic
In this episode, we look to history to consider areas of potential areas for US-China environmental politics and cooperation today. Dr. Vladimir Janko…
October 2, 2023
Africa and the Second Cold War: Infrastructure, Corridors, and Critical Minerals
In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Tim Zajontz to discuss growing geopolitical and geoeconomic competition across infrastructure, economic corridor…
June 27, 2023
Extractivist Projects and Environmental Justice Struggles on the Polar Silk Road
In this episode, we talk with Dr. Ksenija Hanaček about her research on the Polar Silk Road and extractivism and environmental conflicts in the Arctic…
May 21, 2023
Technological Competition in Argentina: Nuclear Energy and Smart Cities
This episode centers on competition in two technology sectors in Argentina: nuclear energy and smart cities. While they may seem like disparate sector…
April 20, 2023
The Micro-Geopolitics of Kenya's Digital Renaissance
In this episode, we talk with Dr. Andrea Polio about his research on Chinese technology companies in Nairobi, Kenya, and how African cities have emerg…
March 7, 2023
Debt & Development Finance in a Changing Geopolitical Landscape
In this episode, Seth and Jess are joined by fellow Second Cold War Observatory research associate and professor Nick Jepson. The conversation explore…
February 2, 2023
The Geopolitics of Renewable Energy and Resource Extraction in Argentina
A conversation with Marcelo Saguier (Director of the Area of International Studies, National University of San Martín) on the relationship between dom…
January 11, 2023
State Platform Capitalism
In this episode with Dr. Steve Rolf, we explore the deepening connections between states and platforms in the two heartlands of the digital economy, C…