Watch the full and ad-free interview HERE: https://open.substack.com/pub/thebrinkpodcast/p/whos-the-real-winner-air-marshal?r=63dafp&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

In this episode of The Brink, Andrew and Jake are joined by Air Marshall Edward Stringer, for a timely and wide-ranging conversation on Iran, NATO, and the future of Western power.

We explore the question at the heart of today’s conflicts: who is actually winning? Against the backdrop of rising tensions with Iran and a shifting global order, Stringer challenges the idea that military strikes alone can deliver lasting outcomes, arguing that without a clear political end state, even successful operations risk achieving very little.

The discussion looks at the limits of air power and modern warfare, and why technological superiority is no substitute for coherent strategy. Stringer explains how interventions can shape events in the short term, but cannot create stability on their own, raising serious questions about recent Western actions in the Middle East.

We also examine the state of NATO and Western defence more broadly. Stringer warns that capabilities have declined significantly, with the UK and its allies falling behind in readiness and resilience, even as threats become more immediate and complex.

Finally, the conversation turns to the bigger picture. From Iran and global energy security to the role of allies and so-called middle powers, this episode asks whether the West is entering a period of strategic drift and what it would take to reverse that trajectory.

A clear-eyed and thought-provoking discussion on war, power, and the future of the West.

Don't forget to check out our merch store: https://www.thebrinkmerch.com/

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

02:36 Stringer’s Military Background & Experience

05:04 The Libya Campaign Explained

07:51 Libya: Did Air Power Really Work?

09:00 Why You Can’t “Bomb Your Way To Victory”

15:39 Iran Today: What Does “Success” Look Like?

19:26 Was War With Iran Inevitable?

20:16 Can Air Power Ever Deliver Regime Change?

25:51 Trump’s War Rhetoric & Its Consequences

28:07 Social Media, War & Political Messaging

31:21 The Problem With US Global Leadership

35:49 Has The US Always Controlled NATO?

38:07 Europe’s Military Weakness Explained

40:31 Will Things “Go Back To Normal” After Trump?

41:57 A Fundamental Shift In Global Power

43:26 Has The UK Fallen Behind On Defence?

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In this episode of The Brink, Andrew and Jake discuss modern feminism, anti-Semitism, and the contradictions in contemporary culture with journalist and academic Zoe Strimpel.

Strimpel shares her shocking experience visiting an anti-Semitic art exhibit in Margate, describing the disturbing imagery and rhetoric. She challenges the artist, raising questions about political expression, hate, institutions, and the normalisation of extreme ideas.

The conversation explores how modern feminist movements have evolved and sometimes lost sight of their original aims. Strimpel argues that while feminism has made gains, its contemporary form is entangled with identity politics, victimhood narratives, and ideologies that undermine individual agency and social cohesion. The episode examines how these ideas intersect with attitudes towards Israel, the West, and liberal democracy.

A central theme is the paradox of modern progressive movements: how feminist strands that claim to champion women’s rights can align with ideologies and regimes that oppose them. Strimpel traces a recurring pattern of anti-Semitism within feminist spaces, arguing that this is not new but increasingly visible.

The conversation explores deeper cultural questions, such as the decline of family formation, changing attitudes to relationships and sexuality, and whether modern societies can sustain long-term fulfilment. Strimpel challenges assumptions about power, freedom, and gender, arguing that Western liberalism, despite its flaws, remains the most successful framework for human flourishing, especially for women.

Watch the full uncut interview HERE: https://open.substack.com/pub/thebrinkpodcast/p/why-do-feminists-have-a-problem-with?r=63dafp&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

02:59 Inside the Gallery: “This Was Next Level”

05:21 Nazi Imagery and Blood Libels

07:46 Confronting the Artist and Crowd Intimidation

10:41 Calling the Police and Institutional Failure

13:37 Civil Society Complicity and Cultural Silence

17:55 Why Progressive Women Support Hamas

20:42 Feminism and Jihadism: An Impossible Alliance

21:06 The History of Anti-Semitism in Feminism

23:24 Class, Elites and Anti-Jewish Sentiment

24:17 Why Moral Clarity on Israel Is Rejected

25:00 Identity Politics and the Corruption of Feminism

27:46 Cognitive Dissonance in Western Activism

28:28 The “Problem With Women” in Modern Politics

31:54 Victimhood Culture and Feminist Identity

33:01 Hypocrisy in Modern Feminism

36:55 The Backlash to Good Slut

37:56 Bonnie Blue and the Limits of Liberal Society

40:07 Sexual Freedom vs Social Collapse

41:40 Family, Community and the Future of Society

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Watch the full uncut interview HERE: https://open.substack.com/pub/thebrinkpodcast/p/what-would-thatcher-do-iran-islam?r=63dafp&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

In this episode of The Brink, we sit down with Charles Moore, former editor of The Daily Telegraph and The Spectator, and the definitive biographer of Margaret Thatcher, to examine a West in crisis.

With geopolitical tensions rising, the transatlantic alliance under strain, and Britain facing deep internal divisions, Moore offers a sweeping diagnosis of where things have gone wrong and what might come next.

The conversation begins with one of the most difficult and urgent questions facing Europe today: how Islam fits within Western societies. Moore reflects on decades of thought on the subject, arguing that the challenge is not simply demographic, but philosophical, rooted in unresolved tensions between religion, state, and pluralism. From integration and extremism to the failures of government policy, he lays out why current approaches may be empowering the wrong voices.

We then turn to British politics, where the collapse of trust in the main parties has given rise to insurgent movements on both left and right. Moore explains why this fragmentation is both understandable and dangerous, and why populist parties often diagnose problems better than they solve them.

The discussion also explores the weakening of the transatlantic relationship in the age of Trump, the rise of ideological extremes in American politics, and the growing confusion in the information age, where truth, propaganda, and narrative increasingly blur together.

This is a wide-ranging and deeply thought-provoking conversation about identity, leadership, and the future of the West.

Don't forget to check out our merch store: https://www.thebrinkmerch.com/

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

01:42 Why the Public No Longer Believes the Establishment

03:58 The Rise of Ideology Over Evidence

06:12 How Elite Institutions Became Politicised

08:47 The Media’s Role in Shaping Public Narrative

11:05 Truth vs Narrative: What Changed?

13:26 Social Media, Censorship and Information Control

15:52 The Expert Class and the Illusion of Authority

18:34 Covid, Groupthink and Institutional Failure

21:06 The Incentives That Drive Bad Decisions

23:41 Why Dissent Is Shut Down

26:12 Identity Politics and Institutional Capture

29:05 How Bureaucracies Protect Themselves

32:18 Political Leadership and Failure of Accountability

35:44 The Consequences for Democracy

39:12 Immigration, Culture and Social Fragmentation

42:36 Economic Stagnation and Policy Failure

46:18 Britain vs the United States: A Growing Divide

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.