The Great Gold Heist—The Weekly

This week, Ron Steslow and Hagar Chemali (Fmr. spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the UN) connect a headline-grabbing jewel heist at the Louvre to China’s push to dethrone the dollar. Then, they turn to the escalating conflict with Venezuela: the strikes on alleged “drug boats,” CIA’s new covert action authority, and what’s really at stake for Maduro’s regime. In Politicology+ they discuss the Gaza ceasefire, why early flare-ups aren’t a sign of failure, the new “yellow line,” and why disarmament is the sticking point. They talk about who could actually keep the peace and tension between economic incentives of reconstruction and the risks of corruption in this unconventional diplomacy. Not yet a Politicology+ member? Don’t miss all the extra episodes on the private, ad-free version of this podcast. Upgrade now at politicology.com/plus. Contribute to Politicology at politicology.com/donate Find our sponsor links and promo codes here: https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8 Get 15% off OneSkin with the code RON at  https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Send your questions and ideas to [e-mail] or leave a voicemail at ‪[phone]‬ Follow this week’s panel on X (formerly Twitter): https:/x.com/RonSteslow https://x.com/HagarChemali Related Reading:  Andrei Jikh—China Is Using Gold To Replace the U.S. Dollar Fortune - Top analyst says China is playing a ‘key role’ in the price of gold going through the roof, and he’s got the data to prove it | Fortune The Dispatch — Will Trump Overthrow the Leader of Venezuela? NYT — U.S. Attacks More Boats as Tensions With Venezuela Rise: What’s Happened So Far NYT - Trump Administration Authorizes Covert C.I.A. Action in Venezuela - The New York Times Politico - Trump’s boat strikes unite regime change advocates and immigration hardliners - POLITICO Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices