In this special episode, Carl Zha returns after a long hiatus to discuss the seismic geopolitical shifts following the recent conflict in West Asia. The conversation covers three interconnected themes: the collapse of the US strategic position in the Persian Gulf, Iran's emergence as a new "superpower" controlling 20% of the world's energy supply, and the ripple effects across the Asia-Pacific—particularly in Taiwan, where the opposition KMT is rethinking its relationship with both Washington and Beijing. Carl dissects Donald Trump's empty threats of a counter-blockade, the logistical impossibility of US naval action against Chinese tankers, and why the Yinghe incident of 1993 (a Chinese ship stranded by US GPS jamming) led directly to China's BeiDou navigation system. He also analyzes the recent KMT-CCP leadership meeting, the meaning of "we do not want Taiwan to be a battlefield," and why the depletion of US missile defenses in South Korea to protect Israel sends a chilling message to all US allies in Asia.
