Historian Dr. Sarah Paine, a Russia and China specialist and retired professor, tells host Steven Bartlett that the world is drifting toward a possible World War III. She frames the era as a clash between continentalists, who seize land, and a maritime rules-based order that compounds wealth through trade.
She calls the Iran war a pivotal error that has wrecked US alliances, spiked fuel prices and incentivized nuclear proliferation. She argues Putin has no off-ramp and Ukraine is winning with drones and refinery strikes. Europe is building institutions fast, while middle powers led by Canada's Carney organize. Sanctions beat wars: a 2% growth cut stretches a doubling from 23 to 71 years. Her message to the young: read, reassess and vote.