JRE 2466 · March 11, 2026

Francis Foster & Konstantin Kisin

politicsmilitaryphilosophyhistory

Who is Francis Foster & Konstantin Kisin?

Francis Foster is a comic and author of "(Un)educated." Konstantin Kisin is a political commentator and author of "An Immigrant's Love Letter to the West." Together, they host the podcast "Triggernometry."

🌐 Website ▶ YouTube

Topics and Timestamps

01Francis Foster and Konstantin Kisin discuss global instability and how the world seems more chaotic than ever, from UK social media arrests to the ongoing Gaza situation
02Deep dive into Iran drone strikes, false flag theories, and the difficulty of getting accurate information when there's an information vacuum that breeds conspiracies
03Analysis of potential regime change strategies in Venezuela, Cuba, and Iran, comparing the risks and outcomes of previous US interventions in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya
04Discussion of Iran's regional influence through proxy funding of Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, versus North Korea's isolationist approach
05Breakdown of best case and worst case scenarios for Iran policy, including economic impacts on oil prices and potential domestic political consequences
06Examination of the contradictions between Trump administration messaging on foreign policy and the lack of clear strategic vision communicated to the public
▶Opening discussion about global instability being worse than ever0:00:00
▶Explanation of how information vacuums naturally breed conspiracy theories0:05:30
▶Venezuela regime adjustment strategy explained as contrast to full regime change0:18:45
▶Konstantin explains best case scenario for Iran with authoritarian but less fanatical regime0:32:15
▶Discussion of oil price spikes affecting midterm elections and cost of living crisis spreading socialism0:42:00

The Show

Joe sits down with Triggernometry hosts Francis Foster and Konstantin Kisin for a conversation about global instability and geopolitics that's more grounded than typical hot take culture. These guys actually grapple with uncertainty instead of pretending they know what's happening.

The conversation kicks off with how unstable everything feels globally right now. Joe points out the UK arresting 12,000 people for social media posts, the Ukraine-Russia war dragging on longer than expected, and the absurdity of now talking about building a resort in Gaza. The hosts bring up legitimate concerns about drone strikes in the Middle East and whether some of them might be false flags designed to pull more countries into conflict with Iran. But here's the thing that separates these guys from typical cable news commentators: they acknowledge the information vacuum. When you don't have real data, conspiracies naturally fill that space. It's not crazy thinking, it's human psychology.

Konstantin and Francis break down the actual geopolitical strategy that might be at play. They talk about Venezuela as a case study where the regime adjustment actually worked. Maduro got removed, but the structure stayed in place with Deli Rodriguez now running things under American oversight. It's basically regime management rather than total regime change. The Dominican oil situation with Cuba training Cuban security forces to help turn a liberal democracy into a communist surveillance state is fascinating context. By cutting off Venezuela's cheap oil to Cuba, the island's economy is imploding, which could naturally lead to an uprising without direct US invasion.

Then they get into Iran, which is way more complicated. Iran isn't like North Korea wanting to be left alone. Iran actively funds Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis. They're destabilizing the entire region. But that's also where the strategy gets murky. There's talk about a White House no-kill list of Iranian regime members they want to preserve for a potential regime adjustment similar to Venezuela. Konstantin lays out a best case scenario where you could have an authoritarian government that's still Islamic but less fanatical, more focused on prosperity than spreading jihad, and willing to work with the West. That's theoretically possible based on historical precedent with the Soviet Union having both hardliners and reformers.

What keeps coming up is the lack of clarity. Trump campaigned on no more unnecessary foreign wars and America First, but the current strategy seems to be the opposite. Joe and the guests keep saying nobody really knows what the endgame is here. Are they trying to push back against Chinese and Russian influence? Maybe. Are they trying to prevent Iran from getting nukes? Probably. But the contradictory messaging from the Trump camp, oil price spikes affecting midterm politics, and the risk of this all going sideways like Iraq and Afghanistan did makes everyone nervous.

They also touch on how cost of living crises in countries like the UK are creating conditions where socialist politicians can gain traction. If energy costs spike from Middle Eastern conflict and people can't afford food, the political consequences could be severe. It's second and third order thinking that most politicians don't seem to be considering.

Best Quotes

“When you have an absence of information, there's a vacuum and nature of a vacuum is that you need to have that vacuum filled. So that's where conspiracies naturally flourish.”

— Francis Foster & Konstantin Kisin