As Russia’s war and maritime insecurity disrupt old trade routes, the Middle Corridor has emerged as Eurasia’s strategic alternative. But can it ever compete on price, speed and reliability? This episode explores the corridor’s bottlenecks, from Caspian ports to Caucasus rail links, and asks whether urgency can overcome commercial reality.

Myanmar’s post-coup war has hardened into a brutal stalemate: the junta holds the central cities through terror and conscription, while a fractured resistance controls much of the periphery but faces donor fatigue and ammunition strain. Operation 1027 and a scam-and-narcotics war economy have reshaped incentives. China is now leaning on all sides to protect its border and Indian Ocean access. Is Myanmar heading for fragmentation, or a new, workable unity in 2026?