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Elsewhere

Tyler Cooper

Most explainer podcasts treat international news like vegetables your mom made you eat. Tyla Cooper actually makes geopolitics interesting. The former high school teacher turned globe-trotting storyteller breaks down complex world events like he's talking to his smartest friend over coffee, not reading from a Wikipedia page. Every episode tackles one major story happening right now, from trade wars to border disputes to political shake-ups that actually matter. Cooper connects the dots between seemingly random events across continents, using the kind of weird analogies and real-world examples that stick in your brain long after you've finished listening. Think less CNN anchor, more that one teacher who made history class actually fun. You'll walk away understanding not just what happened, but why it matters for your world. Cooper spent three years backpacking through 40 countries asking locals the questions most journalists never think to ask, and that perspective shows up in every story he tells. New episodes drop daily, so you'll never be that person who has no idea what everyone's talking about. Follow now for your daily dose of world events that actually make sense. New episodes every day—follow now!


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  • 223 episodes
  • daily
  • Avg 21 min
  • English
Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.
  • October 17 · 17 min

    How North Korea Uses Architecture to Control Its Citizens

    You know those overhead satellite shots that show every detail of a neighborhood? North Korea's government has spent 75 years designing their entire country like a prison you can see from space. In this episode, Tyla Cooper breaks down the shocking ways Kim Jong Un uses buildings, roads, and even ski resorts to keep 25 million people under total control. 🎯 What You'll Learn: • Why North Korea built over 1,000 underground bunkers that satellites can still spot • How internal checkpoints every 20 miles trap citizens in their home provinces • Why Pyongyang gets 85% of the country's electricity while rural areas stay dark • The disturbing reason behind North Korea's luxury resorts that most citizens can't use 👤 Perfect for: anyone who wants to understand how authoritarian governments actually work beyond the headlines. 📍 Chapters: [00:00] Tyla Cooper reveals North Korea's architectural control system [01:45] Underground military facilities hiding in plain sight [04:30] Internal passport system that makes escape impossible [07:15] Why Pyongyang looks like Vegas from space [09:45] Fake luxury developments and their real purpose [11:30] What this means for understanding modern authoritarianism 🔔 Never miss an episode: Follow Elsewhere on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and turn on notifications. New episodes drop daily - your next favorite insight is one tap away. 🔍 Topics: North Korea, satellite imagery, authoritarian architecture, Pyongyang, Kim Jong Un ---------- Keywords: global affairs, news breakdown, geopolitics explained, international podcast, political analysis, world news, geopolitics podcast, current affairs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • October 17 · 15 min

    How Purchasing Power Actually Changed: 1955 vs 2025 Economic Reality

    Your 1955 grandfather could buy a house, support a family, and save for retirement on one income. You can't. Tyla Cooper breaks down the numbers everyone gets wrong about purchasing power across seven decades. 🎯 What You'll Learn: • Why a 1955 minimum wage worker needed 58 hours to afford rent, but you need 100+ hours today • How median home prices jumped from 2.2x household income to 5.6x (and what that actually means for your wallet) • The real reason college costs exploded from $2,000 to $35,000 in today's dollars • Which generation actually had it easier for building wealth, despite having fewer gadgets 👤 Perfect for: anyone wondering why homeownership feels impossible despite record-breaking economic growth, plus lifelong learners who want the real story behind "back in my day" complaints. 📍 Chapters: [00:00] Tyla Cooper reveals the purchasing power myth everyone believes [02:15] Housing costs then vs now: the math that'll shock you [04:30] Minimum wage reality check across 70 years [06:45] Why your great-grandfather's dollar went further [08:30] College tuition explosion: what happened? [10:15] The wealth inequality shift nobody talks about [11:45] What this means for your financial future 🔔 Never miss an episode: Follow Elsewhere on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and turn on notifications. New episodes drop daily - your next favorite insight is one tap away. 🔍 Topics: purchasing power, economic history, housing costs, minimum wage, wealth inequality --------- Keywords: international conflicts, global politics, world history, international podcast, geopolitics explained, international news, foreign policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • October 17 · 16 min

    Congo's Resource War: How 200 Armed Groups Fight Over Minerals, Not Land

    The Democratic Republic of Congo is bigger than Western Europe but nobody talks about the war that's been raging there for decades. While most conflicts are about territory, this one's different: over 200 armed groups are fighting for control of the minerals that power your smartphone. Tyla Cooper breaks down why this resource war has displaced 6.9 million people and shows no signs of stopping. Here's what makes this conflict so complex. The DRC produces about 70% of the world's cobalt, the stuff that makes your phone battery work and Tesla run. But instead of governments controlling these resources, hundreds of militias have carved up the country into mining territories. They're not trying to overthrow anyone or claim independence. They're running a $1.27 billion illegal mining operation that funds itself through violence. 🎯 What You'll Learn: • Why 200+ armed groups can operate in one country without destroying each other • How your smartphone connects you to this forgotten war (and why tech companies can't ignore it much longer) • The economics of conflict: how militias make more money from mining than conquest 👤 Perfect for: anyone who wants to understand how global supply chains really work and why some wars never make headlines despite affecting millions. 📍 Chapters: [00:00] Tyla Cooper explains why this isn't your typical war [01:45] The cobalt connection: from Congo mines to your pocket [04:20] How 200 armed groups divide a country the size of Europe [07:00] The resource curse: why mineral wealth creates conflict [09:30] What this means for electric cars and green technology [11:00] Why this war economy is so hard to break 🔔 Never miss an episode: Follow Elsewhere on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and turn on notifications. New episodes drop daily, your next favorite insight is one tap away. 🔍 Topics: Congo conflict, cobalt mining, resource wars, armed groups, mineral extraction --------- Keywords: foreign affairs, political education, world events podcast, political analysis, trade wars, border disputes, current affairs, international stories Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Showing 221–223 of 223 episodes