Why Should We Care: Indo-Pacific Pod
@IndoPacPodcast • 3,087 subscribers
Join Ray Powell and Jim Carouso as they explore issues defining this century's pivotal region, the Indo-Pacific. New podcast every Friday.
Videos
SPECIAL PRESIDENTIAL GUEST: Why Should We Care About the Pacific Island Country Standing Up to China? In a groundbreaking episode, Ray Powell and Jim welcome their first-ever head of state as a guest—Surangel Whipps Jr., the 10th President of the Republic of Palau. Links 👇
Why Should We Care: Indo-Pacific Pod119,908 次观看 • 10 个月前
🚨 CHINA-PHILIPPINES AGAIN: Why Should We Care About Beijing’s Renewed Saber-Rattling at Second Thomas Shoal? In this urgent bonus episode, Ray Powell and Jim discuss the sharp re-escalation at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea following the highly publicized Chinese naval collision at Scarborough Shoal on August 11. Drawing from satellite imagery, open-source information, and media reports, they analyze China’s deployment of an armed maritime “swarm” near the BRP Sierra Madre, including coast guard cutters, maritime militia vessels, and rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIBs) equipped with mounted weapons. 👉 Available now on all streaming platforms - links below.
Why Should We Care: Indo-Pacific Pod94,833 次观看 • 9 个月前
🚨 EMERGENCY POD: Why Should We Care About the Shocking Chinese Ship Collision at Scarborough Shoal? In this special episode, we dive into the dramatic South China Sea incident this week near Scarborough Shoal. Fresh from Manila, Ray Powell takes the "guest" seat to unpack the events with co-host Jim Carouso. The discussion highlights the escalating 🇨🇳China-🇵🇭Philippines tensions, with its implications for regional stability and 🇺🇸US alliances. Our hosts describe how a Chinese destroyer slammed into a China Coast Guard vessel while pursuing the much smaller Philippine Coast Guard ship BRP Suluan near Scarborough Shoal on August 11, 2025. The collision crumpled the Coast Guard ship's bow and likely caused casualties. Ray notes the Suluan got within 10.5 nautical miles of the shoal, closer than any Philippine vessel in over a year, which challenged China's undeclared exclusion zone around the contested feature in a way that drew an unexpected military response. Providing context, Ray traces the shoal's history: China's 2012 seizure, the 2016 arbitral ruling affirming traditional fishing rights for all nations (including the Philippines), and recent escalations. Since spring 2024, China has enforced a 25-30 nautical mile exclusion zone, blocking Philippine government vessels and fishermen alike in defiance of the arbitral award. The Philippines’ “Kadiwa” mission involved five vessels to provide direct aid to fishermen now forced to operate in exposed waters due to China's denial of the shoal. The hosts analyze the game-changer: the People's Liberation Army-Navy (PLAN) destroyer's direct involvement. This military escalation risked crossing red lines, like President Marcos's 2024 Shangri-La Dialogue statement that a Filipino sailor's death could invoke the US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty. Ray speculates the destroyer aimed to intimidate (not ram) the Philippine ship, but that a misjudgement in the other direction could have resulted in a catastrophe in the diplomatic, as well as the maritime, sense. Broader implications emerge: Ray evaluates China's increased presence amid new laws allowing 60-day detentions and new straight-baseline claims around the shoal. Jim and Ray try to separate how this incident relates to Beijing’s direct confrontation with Manila versus its indirect contest with the Philippines’ ally, the United States. Jim and Ray discuss other dramatic events around Scarborough Shoal this week: a Philippine Coast Guard aircraft faced Chinese fighter jet harassment, and the U.S. Navy conducted its own freedom of navigation operation (FONOP). They also ponder tactical coordination failures between China's navy and coast guard; discuss how Beijing’s lionization of the fighter pilot who died during the 2001 EP-3 incident may inspire recklessness; and what it all may mean for a future Taiwan contingency. Wrapping up, they urge reflection on abyss-peering scenarios: What if the collision had sunk the Philippine ship or killed Filipinos? It could trigger a diplomatic crisis and White House treaty decisions, testing US deterrence. For Filipinos, all this took place near an extremely important fishing ground within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. A potential silver lining? The mishap exposes China's vulnerabilities, and could deter future rash actions–but only if Beijing learns the right lessons. Its recent history, its state media’s unwillingness to even acknowledge the mishap, and its blame-shifting suggest it may elect a more confrontational path. 👉 Links to the full episode in the comments below.
Why Should We Care: Indo-Pacific Pod86,351 次观看 • 10 个月前
North Korean troops are fighting and dying in Ukraine, and the survivors are returning home to teach what they've learned. In return, Moscow is transferring military technology to Pyongyang. Beijing, worried about losing its grip, is competing for influence by easing up on decades of pressure that kept the Hermit Kingdom in check. And Washington? It's pulling forces out of the Indo-Pacific and sending them to other theaters. In Ep. 143, Ray Powell and Jim sit down with Stanford's Oriana Skylar Mastro, Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute and leading expert on Chinese military strategy, to unpack her new Foreign Affairs article, "Kim's Dangerous Liaisons: Russia, China, and the Growing North Korea Threat." Oriana makes the case that the Korean Peninsula is more dangerous today than it has been in years. North Korea is more capable and emboldened and less restrained by its two great-power patrons, who are playing against each other for influence. A conflict on the peninsula today would inevitably pull in Russia and China, nuclear powers with combined military and industrial weight that rivals the United States. Links to full episode below.
Why Should We Care: Indo-Pacific Pod13,613 次观看 • 1 个月前
"We talk a lot about Chinese decoupling economically; for me, the model is much more like a parasite. It comes in, and it sucks out whatever it can, IP, logs... and weakens the host economically. So, it's more like de-parasiting than decoupling." Cleo Paskal in Ep. 80. Links 👇
Why Should We Care: Indo-Pacific Pod67,971 次观看 • 1 年前
"This incident with the two Chinese ships colliding at Scarborough Shoal was a very, very public embarrassment--the kind that Beijing hates with a white hot passion." Ray Powell "What better way to punish and turn the page than to have something new happening back at our old friend, Second Thomas Shoal..." In Ep. 97, Ray and Jim discuss 🇨🇳China’s deployment of an armed maritime “swarm” near the 🇵🇭Philippines' BRP Sierra Madre in the South China Sea. The full podcast is available on YouTube, Apple, Spotify, and more (links below).
Why Should We Care: Indo-Pacific Pod39,264 次观看 • 9 个月前
In Ep. 118, we welcome two returning guests and leading strategic thinkers, Mick Ryan, AM and Zack Cooper, to dissect the newly released U.S. National Security Strategy and its implications for Indo-Pacific security, alliances, and the evolving competition with China. Links ⬇️
Why Should We Care: Indo-Pacific Pod23,685 次观看 • 5 个月前
"There just doesn't seem to be a national consciousness or awakening of the level of strategic danger that we find ourselves in," Andrew J Phelan warned in Ep. 89. 🇦🇺#Australia's current defense capabilities pale compared to WWII preparations. Phelan says that today's "boutique defense force" of 60,000 personnel, from a population of 25 million, is nowhere near adequate for the current strategic challenges. As 🇨🇳#China's "continuous struggle" philosophy ensures ongoing pressure, Phelan says Australia must develop a greater strategic backbone while maintaining necessary economic relationships. The full podcast is available on all major streaming platforms (links below)
Why Should We Care: Indo-Pacific Pod35,017 次观看 • 10 个月前
China’s embassy in Manila launched an unprecedented campaign against Philippine government officials. In this special pod, Philippine Coast Guard Commodore Jay Tarriela‒Beijing’s primary target‒explains what’s at stake when embassies publicly threaten democratic voices. Links ⬇️
Why Should We Care: Indo-Pacific Pod17,358 次观看 • 4 个月前
🆕 "Why Should We Care if the U.S.-India Relationship Melts Down?" In Ep. 99, we welcome lead global security analyst for The Washington Post Intelligence Josh Rogin to unpack the escalating tensions and complexities behind the dramatic recent breakdown in U.S.-India relations. 🔗👇
Why Should We Care: Indo-Pacific Pod26,858 次观看 • 9 个月前
🆕 In Ep. 65, we welcome Dr. Sal Sal Mercogliano (WGOW Shipping) 🚢⚓🐪🚒🏴☠️, maritime historian & host of "What’s Going on with Shipping?," to talk about how "dark fleets" challenge maritime law & Indo-Pacific security by evading international shipping regulations & sanctions against malign actors. Links 👇
Why Should We Care: Indo-Pacific Pod33,466 次观看 • 1 年前
🇵🇭Philippine Defense Secretary Teodoro Explains Strategy to Counter 🇨🇳China in Exclusive Why Should We Care: Indo-Pacific Pod Interview in Manila with Ray Powell In a very special episode, Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilbert "Gibo" Teodoro sat down for an exclusive in-person interview, delivering insights into the #Philippines' defense strategy to counter #China's aggression in the West Philippine Sea. Watch or listen to the full episode - links below.
Why Should We Care: Indo-Pacific Pod26,156 次观看 • 11 个月前
Up until now, China's navy remained over the horizon and refrained from direct interactions with the PCG, Ray Powell explained in Ep. 94. "We've seen lots of the coast guard, lots of the maritime militia... All of a sudden, having the navy directly involved is a big change."
Why Should We Care: Indo-Pacific Pod23,333 次观看 • 9 个月前
In Ep. 97, Ray Powell and Jim explore the strategic calculus behind 🇨🇳China’s recent moves in the South China Sea, interpreting them as probes aimed at provoking a 🇵🇭Philippine misstep to justify more forceful measures. "China would like nothing better than for the Philippines to take a shot at 'em. Because they are looking for a pretext to do what they wanted to do all along." Despite repeated provocations, Philippine forces remain strictly instructed to exercise restraint, aware of the potentially explosive consequences. "They have been unbelievable. They've been extremely professional. They've been extremely restrained." The episode places these events within a broader geopolitical framework, including rising tensions in U.S.-Taiwan relations, the recent Trump-Putin summit in Anchorage, and emerging uncertainties in U.S. alliances across Asia. Available wherever you get your podcasts - links 👇
Why Should We Care: Indo-Pacific Pod21,017 次观看 • 9 个月前
"Why Should We Care Whether 🇺🇸America Has Enough Airlift?" Retired USAF General Mike Minihan, former commander of Air Mobility Command, joins us to talk about how America’s alarming shortfall in military airlift could affect deterrence and readiness in the Indo-Pacific. Links👇
Why Should We Care: Indo-Pacific Pod22,678 次观看 • 1 年前
🆕In Ep. 62, Taiwan Member of Parliament 王定宇 Wang Ting-yu, MP discusses the “gray zone” warfare being prosecuted daily by China against his country. "Why Should We Care if China is Sabotaging Taiwan’s Subsea Cables?" w/ the Chair of Foreign Affairs & National Defense Committee. Links⬇️
Why Should We Care: Indo-Pacific Pod25,063 次观看 • 1 年前
China has constructed ~400 hardened aircraft shelters over the last decade — compared to 22 for the U.S. Hear more from defense analyst Tom Shugart, who recently co-authored a report for Hudson Institute, "Concrete Sky: Air Base Hardening in the Western Pacific," on Ep. 66 🔗⬇️
Why Should We Care: Indo-Pacific Pod23,994 次观看 • 1 年前
In Ep. 78, Gen. (Ret) Minihan addresses his famous 2022 memo warning the U.S. was "not ready to fight and win inside the first island chain" by 2025. Despite the controversy, Mini stands by his assessment, explaining it was intended to drive urgent action and readiness. Links ⬇️
Why Should We Care: Indo-Pacific Pod20,095 次观看 • 1 年前