As the fourth anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine looms, is the West forcing a "well-documented surrender" in Geneva? We go inside the high-stakes deadlock where political calendars are colliding with the raw physics of power.

This week, we analyze the fraying edges of the global order. From the "Board of Peace"—a new, corporate-style model of global governance with a billion-dollar entry fee—to the Pentagon’s massive naval buildup in the Gulf, the traditional rules of diplomacy are being rewritten. We also dive deep into the intelligence surrounding China’s secret orbital bombardment test and what it means for the future of trilateral arms control.------

New in-depth analysis drops every week. Follow "This Week Explained" on Apple and Spotify so you never miss a briefing. The #1 way to support our work (for free) is to share this episode with one friend, colleague, or family member who needs to understand the hardware behind the headlines.

Find your Spy Superpower: https://yt.everydayspy.com/49Ie1LICheck out Alex’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Faithful-Fitness-Forty-Day-Devotional-Stewardship/dp/B0GLYKLWC3Explore Spy School: https://everydayspy.com/ Listen to the podcast: https://youtube.com/@EverydaySpyPodcastLearn from a CIA Spy: https://youtube.com/@Andrew-Bustamante-----Can your belief system actually override your genetic code? This week, exercise scientist Alex VanHouten joins the show to discuss how internal identity dictates physiological performance and why a nation's collective health is a critical pillar of its national security.Episode HighlightsThe Power of Belief over Genetics: Alex breaks down a 2018 study revealing how believing you have "endurance genes" can physically improve your body’s ability to buffer carbon dioxide, regardless of your actual DNA. The Geopolitics of Fitness: Kervin and Alex explore how an unhealthy population creates a national security risk, affecting everything from military readiness to societal resilience and the "will to live." Internal Health vs. External Aesthetics: Why "looking fit" can be a dangerous mask for hormonal imbalances, and how to focus on internal markers like HDL and testosterone.The "1%" Strategy & Epigenetic Adaptation: How small, consistent stressors (Consistency , Volume, Intensity) trigger long-term genetic changes that remain even after you stop training. Bio-Individuality & Nutrition: Understanding specific genetic markers like the MTHFR gene to prevent global inflammatory responses caused by common "healthy" foods.

The old global safety nets are dissolving. This week, we explore a world caught between a "kinetic veto" in Ukraine, a billion-dollar "pay-to-play" model for global governance, and a massive U.S. military build-up in the Gulf.
"This Week Explained" breaks down the week's most important geopolitical events, delivering sharp analysis on how these developments shape government policies, influence business decisions, and impact society. Join the experts at Aucoin Analytics, LLC as they cut through the noise and provide clear, actionable insights for the road ahead.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/this-week-explained--6199515/support.

The era of the "global policeman" is over. This week, we explore the rise of the "Board of Peace"—a new $1 billion-per-seat global operating system—and the internal "stroke" paralyzing the Chinese military hierarchy.

Episode Highlights

The Florida "Inner Circle": A look at how high-velocity diplomacy in Mar-a-Lago is bypasssing traditional channels to draft a post-war settlement for Ukraine. The $1 Billion Board of Peace: Why the U.S. is trading 80 years of multilateralism for a "gated community" of global governance that has already alienated G7 allies and Canada.

Middle East Tensions: The "Carrot and Stick" approach with Iran as the Lincoln Carrier Strike Group arrives in the northern Arabian Sea.PLA in Paralyis: Analyzing the removal of veteran "princelings" from the Chinese military and the resulting "promotion anxiety" hollowing out Beijing's command. 2026 National Defense Strategy: Washington officially retires "utopian idealism" in favor of "Deterrence by Denial" and the 5% spending standard for allies.

Stop being a passive consumer and start seeing the full picture. We’ve partnered with Ground News to help you identify media bias and see the stories others are ignoring. Use the link in our show notes to get 40% off a Vantage Subscription and support the show while sharpening your perspective.

Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and follow us on Instagram @thisweekexplained!

Can advanced machine learning predict a coup before it happens? This week, we sit down with the architects of Downstream Intelligence to discuss how they bridged the gap between raw intelligence analysis and Math-trained algorithms to bet on—and win—the future of global affairs.

Stop being a passive consumer and start seeing the full picture. We’ve partnered with Ground News to help you identify media bias and see the stories others are ignoring. Use the link in our show notes to get 40% off a Vantage Subscription and support the show while sharpening your perspective.

Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and follow us on Instagram @thisweekexplained!

The architecture of the global order is being dismantled and rebuilt in real-time. From the "weaponization of winter" in Ukraine to a high-stakes governing experiment in Gaza and a shocking trade pivot in North America, we explore a world where traditional security guarantees are being replaced by transactional ultimatums.

Stop being a passive consumer and start seeing the full picture. We’ve partnered with Ground News to help you identify media bias and see the stories others are ignoring. Use the link in our show notes to get 40% off a Vantage Subscription and support the show while sharpening your perspective.

Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and follow us on Instagram @thisweekexplained!

The rules of 1945 are being abandoned in real-time as the global order shifts from a war of attrition to a landscape of high-tech "reflexive control". From hypersonic warnings over European capitals to an Iranian regime that is "strategically naked" for the first time since 1979, we examine a world where the race between diplomacy and humanitarian collapse is entering its most dangerous lap.

• The Oreshnik Message: We analyze Russia’s second operational use of the 13,000 km/h hypersonic missile and how it serves as a blunt psychological warning to NATO air defense architectures.

  
  

• Weaponizing Winter: A look at the "double-tap" strikes and the massive campaign targeting the Ukrainian energy grid during a fifteen-degree-below-zero cold snap to force a humanitarian crisis.

  
  

• The Disarmament Deadlock: Why the Trump peace plan for Gaza is stalled over Hamas’s refusal to surrender small arms, which they view as essential for internal control.

  
  

• Iran’s "Perfect Storm": With primary proxies degraded and the economy in free-fall, we discuss why the Iranian regime is facing a "metrics of revolution" unlike anything seen since 1979.

  
  

• The Greenland Ultimatum: How the U.S. move toward Greenlandic "national security imperative" is placing NATO on life support and threatening the internal logic of the alliance.

  
  

Stop being a passive consumer and start seeing the full picture. We’ve partnered with Ground News to help you see your own media blind spots. Use the link in our show notes to get 40% off a Vantage Subscription today.

Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and follow us on social media @thisweekexplained for more in-depth coverage of these stories.

In under forty-eight hours, the geopolitical landscape of the Western Hemisphere has been fundamentally reoriented by the clinical precision of Operation Absolute Resolve. This week, we examine the capture of Nicolás Maduro, the reassertion of a U.S. "privileged ground" through the Dunroe Doctrine, and how this seismic shift impacts fragile peace efforts from Paris to Gaza.

• The Caracas Extraction: A breakdown of the high-stakes raid involving 150 aircraft that captured Maduro while a high-level Chinese delegation was still inside the presidential palace.

  
  

• A Fractured Succession: Why Venezuela has descended into a three-way tug-of-war between civilian loyalists, military hardliners in bulletproof vests, and a marginalized democratic opposition.

  
  

• Ukraine’s Stabilization Framework: Moving beyond ammunition counts to discuss a "permanent security architecture" and a European-led multinational force ahead of the January 6th Paris summit.

  
  

• Iran’s Economic Collapse: With the rial hitting 1.45 million to the dollar, we analyze the "Ghost of the Shah" returning to the streets as the middle class sees its life savings evaporate.

  
  

• Taiwan’s "Iron Walls": Deciphering Beijing’s Justice Mission 2025, where the China Coast Guard is being used to create a "veneer of legitimacy" for a total island blockade.

Enjoyed this deep dive into the redrawing of the global map? Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with your network!

To see the media blind spots we discussed today, get 40% off a Ground News Vantage Subscription through our link in the show notes or visit our Instagram bio @thisweekexplained.