Iran War, Taiwan's U Turn & De-Dollarization | Silk and Steel

Angelica sits down with Carl Zha, host of the Silk and Steel podcast, to unpack the rapidly escalating geopolitical crisis. From the US-Iran conflict threatening global energy security to Taiwan's dramatic nuclear energy reversal and a historic KMT delegation to Beijing, we cover the stories mainstream media is ignoring.

Plus: Carl shares his harrowing experience with YouTube channel termination and how creators can fight back.

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Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction

00:26 - The "Frog Boiling" Moment: Comparing 2025 to March 2020

01:25 - Energy Crisis Deep Dive: Why no oil means no food, no medicine

02:47 - Taiwan's Vulnerability: 40% LNG-dependent with only 11 days supply

03:43 - The Strait of Hormuz: Irreversible damage to global shipping

05:06 - Taiwan's Nuclear Reversal: A vindication for energy realists

07:01 - Taiwan's Economic History: From "Made in Taiwan" to semiconductors

08:30 - The "Made in Taiwan" stigma: George Clooney clip and Taiwan's transformation

10:30 - The Helium Crisis: 70% of Taiwan's helium comes from the Gulf – AI bubble at risk

12:30 - The Butlerian Jihad: How Iran is killing the "thinking machines" (Dune reference)

14:00 - Why the US and Israel are self-harming with no plan

16:30 - The KMT Chairwoman's Historic Trip to Beijing (April 7)

18:30 - KMT internal politics: The whisper campaign against Cheng Li-wen 20:30 - DPP vs. KMT: Why attitudes on Taiwan are shifting

23:00 - Comparing KMT infighting to the Democratic Party establishment 25:00 - Energy vulnerability: How this crisis could flip elections in Taiwan 26:45 - Bali's tourism crisis: Australia's jet fuel shortage and what it means 28:30 - The Vietnam parallel: 3,500 Marines to 500,000 troops

30:00 - The tactical nuke scenario: What if things spiral?

32:00 - The Democratic Party's cowardice: Why they won't oppose the war 34:30 - The "neolib" disappointment: How Obama-style imperialism persists 36:30 - China's overinvestment vindication: EVs, batteries, and solar

39:30 - Iran's yuan pivot: How lifting sanctions backfired on the US

42:00 - The dollar cauldron: Nezha 2 and the de-dollarization allegory

44:00 - Why sanctions are becoming obsolete

46:00 - China's role: Can Beijing mediate?

48:00 - Iran's impossible demands: US withdrawal from West Asia

52:00 - The 10-day pause: Is Trump buying time for troops?

54:00 - Carl's YouTube termination story: How he got his channel back 58:00 - How to reach a human at YouTube: @TeamYouTube on X

62:00 - Closing thoughts: A new world is coming