Hello, dear listeners.

And from me, hello, dear listeners.

Yeah, Aiman, I'm always the one saying hello.

Why am I the one always saying hello?

Ah, well, you know, like, basically.

I give you the benefit of the seniority in age.

Hey, you're older than me, buddy.

I know you can't tell because of my long beard.

Today, dear listeners, we're doing something different.

Instead of peering deep into the past or drilling down into the chaos of the present,

we're turning our attention to the future, specifically the year 26.

2026, goodness gracious, Aiman, how'd 2026 roll around so fast?

Do you know what that means?

That before long, it'll have been 25 years since 9-11.

25 years since the event that set our whole era into motion. Can you believe it?

Well, ironically, just a few days ago, I met my brother. He's six year older than me, so

roughly about 53. So we sat down and we were reminiscing about things. Oh, do you remember that

thing we did? Do you remember that place? Like, you know, we used to go and buy things from, oh, yeah, that was 40 years ago.

The fact that we were talking about things that happened 40 years ago when we are, like, remembering it.

Like, I mean, it's just set in motion a train of depression.

It also means, Amon, that you have been deep inside the world of geopolitical analysis and intrigue for like 30 years now.

Three decades of watching your region and the wider world twist, turn, burn, rebuild, collapse, then repeat.

...