Is America's Influence Eroding? | EYES ON GEOPOLITICS

We break down Russia’s use of gig-economy recruits and online networks for espionage and violence, the growing damage to U.S. bases across the Middle East, and what Iran may be gaining strategically from the conflict. We also discuss the Houthis’ leverage over another maritime choke point, the messy legacy of U.S. proxy warfare in Syria, and how Saudi, Emirati, Omani, and other regional actors are hedging as American influence erodes.
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00:00 – Start
01:05 – Russia’s New Gig-Economy Espionage Model
02:36 – Foreign Governments Hiring Proxies for Assassinations
03:18 – Russian Online Networks & Recruitment for Violence
05:00 – The KGB’s History of Using Terrorist Proxies
06:11 – Is Russia Directing Online Chaos?
07:24 – Chinese Influence, Ghost Guns & Suspicious Networks in the U.S.
09:20 – Accelerationism & Using Chaos as a Weapon
10:14 – Recruiting Vulnerable People Online
11:20 – How Intelligence Services Slowly Escalate Recruits
12:27 – Iran Recruiting Israelis Through Fake Relationships
14:03 – The Damage to U.S. Bases Across the Middle East
15:06 – Fifth Fleet Headquarters in Bahrain Is Effectively Abandoned
15:59 – Losing America’s Foothold Inside the Strait of Hormuz
16:41 – Did the Pentagon Expect Its Gulf Bases to Get Hit?
18:34 – Why Deterrence Against Iran Failed
19:32 – Has Iran Strategically Defeated the U.S.?
20:50 – What Would It Actually Take to Defeat Iran?
21:21 – Iran’s Likely Endgame in the Strait of Hormuz
23:19 – Gulf States Are Beginning to Hedge Away From Washington
24:47 – Houthis Threaten a Second Maritime Choke Point
25:39 – Why the U.S. Is Now Talking Directly to the Houthis
27:23 – Houthis Say Saudi Shipping Is the Target
27:58 – The Mecca Agreement Is Already Being Tested
28:56 – Who Actually Struck Mecca?
30:08 – Saudi Arabia’s Secret Counter-Iran Programs
31:26 – The Gig Economy of Proxy Warfare
32:35 – Timber Sycamore & the Chaos of the Syrian War
34:45 – The Myth of the “Moderate Rebels”
36:30 – When the U.S. Bought Syrian Rebels Xboxes
37:05 – Trying to Get U.S. TOW Missiles Back From Warlords
37:43 – Did the TOW Missile Program Actually Work?
39:21 – Assad’s Intelligence Services & Fear as a Weapon
40:52 – Why the Houthis Aren’t Simply Iranian Proxies
42:11 – Who Was Operating the Captured Saudi Equipment?
43:32 – Saudi vs. Emirati Proxy Forces in Yemen
43:59 – Oman’s Role in the Yemen & Hormuz Crisis
45:50 – JSOC Operations in Eastern Yemen
46:32 – The Failed U.S. Strike in Yemen During the Soleimani Operation
47:24 – Could Yemen’s Rival Factions Be Turned Against Each Other?
47:30 – UAE Mercenaries & Covert Operations in Yemen
48:14 – The UAE’s Huge Paydays for Former U.S. Intelligence Personnel
48:45 – Foreign Officers Running Emirati Elite Units
49:00 – Training the UAE Presidential Guard
50:36 – Closing Thoughts
51:02 – American Insurgent & Final Plug
51:29 – End

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