Long dismissed in the U.S. as uneconomic and proliferation-prone, the recycling of used nuclear fuel is becoming a strategic imperative the country can no longer afford to ignore. The U.S. is sitting on roughly 96,000 metric tons of used nuclear fuel, the vast majority of which is reusable material rather than waste, even as global uranium demand surges and China races to build dozens of new reactors. Meanwhile, France and Russia dominate the recycling landscape, with Russia increasingly setting the terms for nuclear partnerships with non-allied countries. What do modern recycling technologies actually do, and how do they differ from the legacy processes that raised proliferation concerns decades ago? Why might commercial recycling finally be viable in the U.S. today, what role should the federal government play in a market-based approach, and can this activity be carried out safely and securely?

In this episode, Paul Saunders speaks with Dr. Christina J. Leggett, Director of Fuel Cycle Technology at Oklo, Inc. Prior to working at Oklo, she was a lead engineer at Booz Allen Hamilton, where she worked as a nuclear technology advisor for the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). Dr. Leggett also worked as a federal program manager in the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy and as a nuclear engineer and reactor systems engineer at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. She holds a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from the University of California-Berkeley.

Read the EIRP report: The Case for Commercial Recycling of Used Nuclear Fuel: Assessment and Recommendations

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has abruptly severed a fifth of global oil and LNG supply. Far from simply spiking energy prices, a supply chain shock of this magnitude will have cascading impacts across the entire global economy. The current crisis threatens to halt as much as 30% of global fertilizer production, for example, resulting in major food shortages. How can policymakers promote global energy resilience and mitigate future supply chain disruptions like the one in the Persian Gulf?

In this episode, Paul Saunders speaks with Mel Ydreos, Secretary General of the International Gas Union (IGU), a global trade association representing gas production, transmission, and distribution companies. Ydreos also serves as the Executive Director of Energy Vantage Inc. in Toronto, Canada. He launched Energy Vantage Inc. after a long career at Union Gas Ltd., where he held several executive positions. He served as interim president and CEO of the Ontario Energy Association from 2013 to 2014.

Music by Sonican from Pixabay.

With Israeli and Iranian strikes targeting the critical energy infrastructure of the Persian Gulf, GCC countries have found themselves caught in the crossfire of a war beyond their control. Iran's retaliatory drone and missile strikes threaten to derail global energy markets and the Gulf states' fragile economic recovery from the Covid era. How are the Gulf states reacting to escalating strikes on critical energy infrastructure? Will they retaliate militarily? And might they begin to question their close security and economic ties with the United States after the conflict ends?

In this episode, Paul Saunders speaks with Abdulla Al Junaid, a geopolitical columnist and commentator in Middle Eastern and international media. Al Junaid is the former Department Head for Analysis and Policies at the National Unity Party in Bahrain, the former deputy director of MENA2050, an advisory board member of the German-Arab Friendship Association (DAFG), and a permanent committee member of the Germany-GCC Annual Conference on Security and Cooperation.

Music by Sonican from Pixabay.

Critical undersea cables and pipelines are increasingly vulnerable to sabotage by geopolitical rivals, adding a new threat dimension to competition in the Baltic Sea and elsewhere. Such "gray zone" tactics allow adversaries to test NATO resolve without triggering open conflict. What are the legal and military challenges of protecting infrastructure that lies outside clear territorial boundaries? And how can Western governments deter further disruption?

In this episode, Paul Saunders speaks with Martha Miller, a Senior Fellow at the Center for the National Interest. Miller recently served as deputy executive director of the National Security Institute at the Antonin Scalia Law School and was a special assistant to President George W. Bush. She also held national security roles in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. State Department.

Music by Sonican from Pixabay.

America is seeing a renewed push to expand nuclear energy, driven by rising electricity demand, data centers, and growing geopolitical competition. But building new reactors is slow, expensive, and risky, raising hard questions about financing, siting, and political will. Can the United States realistically catch up to China and Russia while rebuilding its domestic nuclear supply chain? And should Washington prioritize speed, self-sufficiency, or deeper cooperation with allies?

In this episode, Paul Saunders speaks with Kenneth Luongo, President of the Partnership for Global Security. Luongo is a member of the Advocacy Council of Nuclear Matters and the Nuclear Energy and National Security Coalition (NENSC). He served from 1994-1997 as the Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Energy for Nonproliferation Policy and simultaneously as the Department of Energy’s Director of the Office of Arms Control and Nonproliferation, Director of the Department of Energy’s Russia and Newly Independent States Nuclear Material Security Task Force, and Director of the North Korea Task Force.

Music by Sonican from Pixabay.

Mass protests in Iran have been met with brutal repression, raising the stakes for the Trump administration which is now weighing whether to respond in support of the demonstrators. Do the protests threaten the Islamic Republic's existence, or is it yet another cycle of unrest the regime believes it can weather through force? What are the risks of U.S. military intervention? And how far would Washington need to go to avoid strengthening the very hardliners it hopes to weaken?

In this episode, Paul Saunders speaks with Greg Priddy, a Senior Fellow for the Middle East at the Center for the National Interest. Priddy consults for corporate and financial clients on political risk in the region and previously served as Director for Global Oil at Eurasia Group.

Music by Sonican from Pixabay.

The stunning U.S. raid that removed Nicolás Maduro from power has upended Venezuela’s political landscape and forced Washington to confront what comes next. Rather than pushing immediately for regime change, the Trump administration appears to be testing a pressure-and-incentives strategy, with sanctions relief, oil production, and economic access used as leverage to shape the behavior of the remaining leadership. Can this approach actually deliver meaningful political reform in Caracas, or will regional stability and U.S. energy interests take precedence over Venezuela's democratic transition?

In this episode, Paul Saunders speaks with Dr. Vanessa Neumann, the founder and president of Asymmetrica, a Latin American business advisory firm. Neumann served as the Official Representative for Interim Venezuelan President Juan Guaidó to the United Kingdom and Ireland, from March 2019 through November 2020. Prior to her diplomatic posting, she served as group leader at the High Level Risk Forum Task Force on Charting Illicit Trafficking at the OECD.

Music by Sonican from Pixabay.

The ongoing peace negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine War have entered a delicate phase, with both Kyiv and Moscow signaling interest in talks even as fighting continues on the ground. Can Ukraine secure meaningful security guarantees without conceding territory? Is Russia seeking a genuine deal or merely buying time? And what would a workable endgame actually look like for a conflict that has reshaped global politics?

In this episode, Paul Saunders speaks with Andrew Kuchins, a senior fellow at the Center for the National Interest in Washington, DC. Kuchins most recently served as president of the American University of Central Asia in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Before that, he served as Director of the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (2007-2015) and at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (2000-2003, 2006), where he also directed their Carnegie Moscow Center (2003-2005).

Music by Sonican from Pixabay.