The Econoclasts is a new podcast from UnHerd hosted by economist Yanis Varoufakis and journalist Wolfgang Munchau. While they don’t always agree politically, they are united in one conviction: the consensus is rotten. Mainstream economics has consistently failed to predict the events that shape our world, yet this broken orthodoxy still dominates policy and media. Each week, they choose two pillars of the established orthodoxy — the “settled facts” — and shatter them, cutting through the spin to connect the dots between money, geopolitics, and the real forces shaping our future.
Curated by: UnHerd (58 videos)
🔗 Click the following link to get tickets to 'The Econoclasts LIVE' in London on March 23rd: https://unherd.com/econoclastslive 📰 Subscribe to UnHerd today at: https://bit.ly/3Qdkd5y In today’s Venezuela special, Yanis Varoufakis and Wolfgang Munchau expose the reality behind the abduction of Nicolás Maduro and the dawn of a ‘Donroe Doctrine’ that signals the end of international law. As the first days of 2026 unfold, could Trump’s gangster-style intervention actually be emboldening Putin and Xi, and are Greenland and Canada truly the next targets on the list? And in a ‘Putinized’ West where European leaders remain non-entities, is this merely a regime change in Caracas, or a strategic flooding of the zone designed to shatter the transatlantic alliance and usher in a new era of transactional warfare? Watch it on the UnHerd website: https://unherd.com/watch-listen/why-venezuela-was-only-the-beginning/ Listen to the podcast: plinkhq.com/i/1685475850 Advertise on UnHerd @ zoe.white@unherd.com Follow UnHerd on social media: Twitter: https://x.com/Econoclasts Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unherd/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unherd/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@unherdtv //TIMECODES// 00:00 - 01:19 – Intro 01:19 - 04:11 – Venezuela and International Law 04:11 - 06:59 – ‘Putinising’ the West 06:59 - 09:01 – European Reaction and Dependency on the U.S. 09:01 - 12:24 – Oil Politics and Trump’s Power Base 12:24 - 14:05 – Renewables, China & Trump’s Strategy 14:05 - 16:56 – Panama, Iraq & Venezuela: Intervention Parallels 16:56 - 20:17 – Quick Wins & Opportunistic Strategy: Trump’s New Playbook 20:17 - 23:15 – Domestic Distraction & MAGA Management 23:15 - 27:00 – Trump’s Mafia Boss Mentality 27:00 - 30:40 – Gangsterism or Global War? Trump vs. Harris 30:40 - 32:36 – “Gentleman” vs. “Gangster” Diplomacy 32:36 - 32:59 – Conclusions #UnHerd #Venezuela #Maduro